Yu-Gi-Oh:Journey of the heart
by tudorgirl941
Summary: My name is Yumiko Muto, Yumi for short. My Grandfather is Yugi Muto, and I am a believer in the heart of the cards just like he was. Unfortunately, Grandpa is missing, and I have no idea where in the world he is. This is my quest to try and find him again, and to battle the darkness within my own heart.
1. Chapter 1

Yu-Gi-Oh, Journey of the heart

Chapter one:A treasure?

Darkness. That was the only thing she could see. All around her, above her head and beneath her feet, the only thing that was there was the darkness.

"Where am I?" she thought to herself, trembling in fear, her breathing slow and shallow. Apart from her thumping heart, a deathly silence loomed over the shadowy area.

"What is this dark place?"

Suddenly, a roar of fierce laughter shattered the silence and a booming voice spoke.

"I am suprised that you do not recognise that which lies within your very soul" eyes widening in horror, she turned around and stared into darkness where the voice was coming from.

"Who's there?! Show yourself!" as she spoke, a figure emerged from the shadows, red eyes glowing and a frown on its face. Sweat running down her forehead, she forced herself to speak.

"Who are you?! And why do you look like me?!"

The figure replied in a threatening voice.

"I am all of which you do not have"

"What?..." a smirk crossed the figure's face as her eyes turned pure red.

"Yet..." the figure slowly reached out towards her forehead...

*/*

"Hey! Yumi-chan!"

The redheaded girl reached over and tapped her friend on the shoulder.

"Yumi-chan!" Eyes snapping open, Yumi raised her head up from her desk and looked at her friend.

"Mizuki-chan?..."

Sighing, Mizuki shook her head.

"You fell asleep again! Its a good job Sensei didn't see you" rubbing her forehead, Yumi let out a yawn.

She had blond wavy bangs that framed her face, black and red hair that pointed up in spikes, but that also rested on her shoulders with redhighlights running through it. (She wears the long part in bunches to keep it out of the way) And she had eyes just like Yugi's, except that they were a beautiful deep blue.

"I'm sorry, I was up late last night" she confessed.

A gleam of realisation shone in Mizuki's sapphire coloured eyes.

"Ah, still working on that?" she asked quietly.

Yumi nodded and winked, a smile appearing on her face.

"Yes, with luck I should finish soon"

Mizuki had been one of, if not the closest of Yumi's friends for several years, she was incredibly smart and kind, but also had a bit of fiery temper, especially if someone tried to hurt her friends.

Yumi was often grateful for her friendship with the redhead, as she felt that she had someone else to look up to, but also to learn from.

Stretching, Mizuki stood up and grabbed her satchel, slinging it over her shoulder.

"Come on, Takara and Sayuri-chan are waiting for us" nodding again, Yumi packed away her things, put her bag on her back and hurried after her friend.

"Hi Yoshinori-san!" a fellow student in their year greeted on her way past.

"Hi Tokimuri-san" Mizuki replied with a wave.

Yumi's expression was vacant as she was deep in thought.

*That dream I just had...could it mean something?...Grandpa told me about dreams that he had when he had the Millenium Puzzle...its not possible is it?*

"Yumi-chan?"

Looking up, Yumi smiled at her friend.

"Are you ok?" Mizuki asked.

Nodding in response, Yumi spoke.

"Yes, i'm fine"

Mizuki said nothing, but raised her eyebrows.

*Fine? I know that look of yours Yumi-chan, you always get it when you're worried, but, if it was really bad I know that you'd tell me*

With a sigh, she adjusted her bag strap.

As they walked futher down the corridor, a sudden frown crossed the redhead's face as she spotted a boy walking towards them.

"Takahashi" she said with gritted teeth. Taking a composing breath, Yumi kept her eyes downcast as the black-haired boy approached them and proceded to walk alongside them.

*Oh no...* Yumi thought.

Takahashi was one of the bullies in their year, and he had a reputation for stealing other student's best cards.

Naturally, Mizuki hated him, but in this case, it went a whole lot deeper.

*I know it was you who tried to take both Yumi-chan's and my Deck Masters, but since you weren't successful, I've decided to let it slide for now...*

Skipping over, the black haired boy addressed her, with obviously stolen cards peeking out of his pocket.

"Oi, Mizuki" Takahasi said with a large grin.

"Its Yoshinori-san to you" Mizuki replied with an emotionless tone of voice.

Takahasi's grin grew bigger before continuing.

"Whatever. Hey Mizuki, how about that duel you promised me?"

The redhead scoffed and glared at him, placing a protective hand over her blazer pocket where her deck was, and frowning at his disappointed reaction.

"I promised you no such thing, now go away" Yumi smiled up at her friend.

*Mizuki-chan is so confident...I wish I was like her...* she thought to herself.

With a grin as wide as the chesire cat's, Takhashi stepped in front of them and extended his hand

"Or of course you could just give me your cards now, save yourself the pain of defeat"

Mizuki looked at him coldly, tightening her grip on her bag's strap and she replied with a stern tone of voice.

"The day I let you touch my cards with your filthy fingers is the day I stop loving Duel Monsters"

Bending down, he looked at Yumi with his grin wider than ever.

"What about you, Muto-chan?"

Yumi took a step back nervously, placing a hand over the pocket where her deck was.

"Takahashi"

Mizuki growled threateningly, glaring at him.

Yumi gulped and stared at her feet, trembling slightly as she recalled what had happened the last time she ran into him.

"I'm sure you of all people must have some decent cards, seeing as who your grandfather was"

Clenching her fists, a pair of sapphire eyes glared at him.

"I swear to god, if you don't leave her alone right now..."

Chuckling, he extended his hand.

"How about it Yumi-chan, let me see your supreme deck made by the king of games, surely he wanted them to still be used, even after he was dead"

"BASTARD!" Mizuki roared, throwing down her bag and grabbing him by the shirt.

Frowning, Yumi pushed him out of the way and hurried down the corridor.

"Yumi-chan! Wait!" Slapping Takahashi in the head, Mizuki picked up her bag andran after her friend.

"OI! THAT HURT!" He shouted, rubbing his injured head and cards falling out of his pockets.

"GOOD!" Mizuki replied from a distance.

"Hey! That's my card!" A nearby student cried out.

"Uh oh" Takashi said.

*/*

Bursting through the doors, Yumi ran out onto the recreational ground and kicked a nearby tree trunk in frustration.

Sinking to her knees, she clenched her fists, staring down at the grass beneath her with a frown.

*Damn it. Everyone keeps expecting me to have Grandpa's deck! But...I only have the cards that he himself handed down to me, I would never dream of taking his cards without his permission!...and I will find you Grandpa...I promise..."

Pulling out her deck, Yumi stared the monster that rested on the top of the deck.

"But...you're the only thing that I have that might help...so please..."

*/*

(Flashback)

The young girl stood their in her brand new school uniform for middle school, nervously awaiting her grandfather's opinion on her newly completed deck.

Seated at the kitchen table, (obviously by this time much older) Yugi shuffled through the cards he held in in his hand, his eyes still holding all of the concentration and passion he was known for as the King Of Games.

Fidgeting slightly, Yumi took a breath to compose herself.

*I hope it's good enough, the last thing I want is to disappoint Grandpa with a badly put together deck*

After a few moments, Yugi placed the deck down on the counter and said nothing for a moment or two.

*Oh no! He must think it's awful!* Yumi thought to herself worriedly.

"Well? What do you think Grandpa?...* She asked with a curious, but nervous tone of voice.

Raising his head up, the old man smiled.

"It's very unique and special, just like you Yu-hime" he said, using her childhood nickname for her.

Yumi's face lit up at this comment.

"Really?"

Yugi nodded in response.

"However, it is missing something.."

Reaching under the counter, Yugi took out his deck and pulled three cards from the top and observed them with a nostalgic look in his eyes.

A chuckle escaped him as he recalled the adventures he had been on in the past before looking back up at his granddaughter.

"Here Yumiko, I want you to have these" he said, reaching over and offering them to her.

Realising which cards were being offered to her, Yumi gasped and took a step backwards.

"No Grandpa! I couldn't possibly take those from you!"

Yugi raised his eyebrows slightly, chuckling at her expression.

"Well I won't be duelling with them any time soon now will I? So what's the use if they're just lying around here catching dust hmn?"

Sighing, Yumi looked at the cards, respect clear in her eyes.

"But...they're from the deck that you built.."

The old man nodded.

"Exactly, the deck I built when I was your age. But now it's your time and you're creating a deck of your own unique design...and I would be honoured if you would keep these cards, just as a little memento of me"

Yumi nodded, clutching the cards close to her heart.

"I will, I promise...I'll always keep them close to me...Grandpa"

Yugi chuckled.

"Thank you, Yu-hime"

*/*

(The Present)

Sighing, Yumi placed her deck back into her pocket and stood up, dusting off her skirt.

"Yumi-chan!" a very familiar voice called out to her.

Turning around, Yumi saw the redhead running towards where she was standing.

*Mizuki-chan...*

Catching up to her, Mizuki took a moment to catch her breath before continuing.

"Yumi-chan? Are you alright?"

Smiling, Yumi nodded.

"Yes, I'm ok now"

Standing up straight, Mizuki winked and gave a thumbs up"

"Good. Don't let that bastard get to you, he isn't worth it" changing her expression to a serious one, Mizuki gave a word of warning.

"But, if he tries anything funny with you, let me know and I'll see that he gets what he deserves"

Yumi gave an understanding nod and continued to wear her trademark kind smile.

"I know, and I'm grateful that I have such a good friend as you"

Mizuki smiled slightly at this.

"Yumi-chan..."

"Anyway Mizuki-chan, lets get going!" Yumi cheered happily.

With a nod, Mizuki agreed

"Alright"

As the pair walked off, a thought came into Mizuki's head.

"Yumi-chan?"

Looking up at her friend, the pointy-haired duelist smiled.

"Yes?" Yumi replied.

With a curious look, the redhead spoke.

"When you finish what you are working on, be sure to show it to me will you?"

Yumi winked and nodded.

"Of course, it is my treasure after all"

Suddenly they were interupted by a voice calling out to them.

"Oi! Yumi-chan! Mizuki! How long were you planning on taking?!"

Standing a few metres away from them was another one of their friends, Takara, a sports loving hyperactive brunette with emerald-green eyes that had a tendency to cause trouble.

It was never intentional of course, but one way or another, she usually wound up in detention.

Spotting her friend, Yumi smiled and hurried over, Mizuki following close behind.

"Sorry Takara-chan, I had to talk to the teacher"

The brunette grinned and shrugged, a green coloured duel-disk attached to her left arm.

"Its fine, I'm just out of a duel myself actually"

Mizuki raised her eyebrows when she saw the duel-disk.

"You beat Mariko again?"

Takara winked, wearing a triumphant grin on her face.

"Yup. Now come on! Sayuri found something that she want's to show us!"

With those words, the brunette sped off down the street, Yumi following suit.

"Oi Takara! Not so fast!" Mizuki called after her.

"Move it or lose it!" Takara retorted.

With an agitated groan, the redhead hurried after her friends.

/

*/AN/*

Thank you so much for reading this chapter!

Please be so kind as to review and tell me what you think!

[Apologies for any mistakes]


	2. Chapter 2

Yu-Gi-Oh:Journey of the heart

Chapter 2: A new summon?

*/AN/*

Just a quick note for character appearences and other stuff.

The uniform the girls wear is the same one from Season Zero

[Hardcore fans a little treat for you there]

This Chapter has been changed!

Please take the time to re-read it!

Anyway, back to the story.

*/*

Waiting for her friends, a fellow student named Sayuri stood outside one of the local game shops as the crowds entered and left.

She was tall and slim, with beautiful pale skin and sleek black hair that went down to her waist and was usually the staring point for most boys of their age, but she herself had no time for boys, because that meant she wouldn't have time to the things that she enjoyed with her friends.

Among the group, she was one of Yumi's oldest friends, knowing her almost as long as Mizuki had and she was also one of the most talented duellists in the school.

Even the senior students were no match for her deck, that was one of the reasons for her being so admired.

You would think that this would make her snobby but in fact it was quite the opposite. She always put her friends first, regardless of the consequences. One of the many admirable qualities that she possessed.

*Where are they? They should have been here at least fifteen minutes ago..* She thought to herself with a sigh.

Her anticipation was fairly obvious to the people around her, as she unknowingly kept fiddling with her hands.

*Come on guys, you can't miss this!*

No sooner than the thought had entered her head however, Yumi and the rest of her friends came around the street corner.

"Sayuri-chan!" Yumi's familliar cheery tone pierced through the air as she stopped and waved before continuing forward.

Turning around, Sayuri smiled as they hurried over to her.

*Speak of the devil...*

Mizuki and Takara followed close behind Yumi, struggling to match her speed. No one could keep up with Yumi when she was excited about something.

"Yumi-chan!" Mizuki called after her, panting for breath.

"Man! You would think that she'd be the best at gym with the speed that she's going at!" Takara remarked with a mischievous smirk on her face.

Stopping when they reached the pavement, Mizuki leaned down, held her knees and took a moment to catch her breath.

"Knock it off with the sarcastic comments will you?"

Shaking her head, Takara grinned.

"Sorry, no can do!"

Chuckling at them, Sayuri turned to face Yumi with a smile.

"Hi Yumi-chan" she said with her calm tone of voice that she was well known for.

Nodding, Yumi responded with an equally friendly smile.

"Hi Sayuri-chan!"

After catching her breath and composing herself, Mizuki stood up straight.

"Man do I need to get fit...But, what was it exactly that you were so excited to show us Sayuri-chan?"

The redheaded student tried her best to hide her vivid curiosity, but it was all too clearly shown in her sapphire eyes.

Grey eyes gleaming, Sayuri gestured to the window of the shop, where a huge poster was displayed.

The group gasped in excitement.

"Nice picture" Takara commented.

Yumi examined the poster with an experienced eye.

Shown on it was drawings of several different duel monsters, the majority of which seemed to be machine-types.

*That's strange... I've never seen these monsters before...Could they be Fusion monsters?-No...I wonder what kind they are?*

She pondered the various types of monster cards but was unable to find an answer. She had no idea what type of summoning those monsters required.

*The cards are a white colour this time...that's unusual...*

Chuckling at her vacant expression, Takara nudged her.

Running a hand through her black hair, Sayuri spoke calmly.

"They're bringing out new Duel Monsters and apparently a new way of summoning"

The three friends were quite taken aback by this comment.

"No way..." Mizuki said, pulling out her deck and comparing it with the monsters on the poster.

Unaware to the rest of them, Yumi slipped inside the store excitedly.

"Alright!" Takara cheered, a grin crossing her face before continuing.

"Hey, you think the future owner of Kaiba Corp will be so generous as to split the profits with us?"

The group stared at her with raised eyebrows.

"Really?..." Mizuki asked with a sigh. The brunette's attitude was a bit much for her at times. Then again, hanging around with anyone apart from Yumi was a bit trying for her at times.

Takara merely shrugged in response, not caring about hiding her thoughts.

"Hey, a girl can dream can't she? Isn't that right Sayuri-chan?"

She winked at the black haired student as she spoke, trying to get her on her side of the joke.

Sayuri remained silent and did not respond to the brunette's comment.

Raising her head, she looked at the door.

"I do believe that Yumi-chan is already on the second level of the store by now"

Realising her friend's missing presence, Mizuki groaned and hurried into the store, Takara skipping along beside her.

"Yumi-chan!" Mizuki called out

Pausing for a moment, Sayuri looked up at the window of the store's second floor, where a familiar face with cold blue eyes was staring down at her.

After staring back for a few moments, Sayuri lowered her gaze and entered the store with the others.

*I knew you'd be here...I just knew it..* She thought to herself silently, a hand placed protectively on her blazer pocket.

"Sayuri-chan"

Sayuri turned around to face the redhead with a calm expression.

"Yes?"

"Are you alright?" Mizuki asked, a concerned look in her eyes.

Knowing that an explanation was not needed on this occasion, the black haired student merely nodded in response.

All of a sudden, Takara's voice boomed loudly in their ears.

"HAVE YOU SEEN WHAT THEY'RE CHARGING FOR THESE?!"

Growling, Mizuki responded with her fists clenched.

"It is a _Brand New _type of monster, of course it'll be expensive! How do you think Kaiba Corp stay in such good business?!" she hissed impatiently.

Sighing, Sayuri shook her head.

"Typical..."

*/*

Strolling around the displays, Yumi's eyes scanned around the surprisingly quiet shop, observing all of the different duelling items with happiness.

To her relief, no one had noticed her, or who she resembled for that matter.

The result of someone noticing was usually some painfully obvious questions that she personally didn't like answering. Being the granddaughter of The King Of Games had it's problems as well as it's joys. Mostly it was more joys than problems though...until recently that is.

*I wonder if he'll be here?...* she thought to herself for a moment, before shaking her head.

Stopping in the middle of two displays, she took a moment to regain some sense before continuing around the various items.

*No, he won't be here, I should learn not to get so hopeful all of the time...*

Pulling out a certain card from her blazer pocket, she looked at it sadly.

*I just hope that one day I'll be able to give this back to him..*

However, she wasn't looking where she was going and soon enough she bumped into someone.

"Watch where you're going!" A familiar voice shouted, clear coldness in it.

Rubbing her forehead, Yumi turned to face the person with an apologetic expression.

"Sorry! I got a little over-excited-" her eyes widened when she saw who it was.

It was a surprise because she had not talked to that particular person in a very long time, yet he seemed no different from when they last met.

Standing up straight, Yumi's eyes met with her fellow student and old friend.

"Kaiba-khun?..."

The tall brown haired boy seemed surprised, cold blue eyes staring right into her deep blue ones.

Yumi blinked, not sure what to say or do.

*It's been a while since I last saw him..*

He wore the boy's uniform for the high school and he had a duel disk attached to his left arm. [The latest model no less]

Soon enough, his expression changed back to his usual cold look.

"What are you doing here?"

Composing herself, Yumi replied with her usual friendly voice.

"Sayuri-chan wanted to show us the new monsters, and we usually hang around the game shops after school anyway..."

The remainder of her sentence faded into nothing as Kaiba's look grew even colder than previously.

"So Gramps was right, you are just like Muto Yugi" he said with an irritated tone of voice

Yumi wasn't sure if this was a compliment or an insult, so she decided to change the subject.

"So, let me guess, Kaiba Corporation is funding the new monsters and you're here to get to know the new summoning better?"

She asked with a knowing smile.

Chuckling, Kaiba gestured to his duel-disk.

"Pfft, please I've already worked out how to do it. By the time you get any new cards i'll be a master in it"

He finished with a smirk, blue eyes gleaming smugly.

Smiling, Yumi made an effort to keep up the conversation. It was rare that she got the chance to talk to him, and when she did get the chance he tended to ignore her, so she was making sure to make the most of the opportunity.

For some reason that she couldn't understand, Kaiba seemed to dislike her, which was odd because they had previously been close friends, knowing each other from toddlerhood, if not earlier.

"Umn, how is your grandfather?"

A smirk crossed the young heir's face as he ran a hand through his brown hair with pride.

"Richer than ever"

Yumi giggled at this comment, brushing her blond bangs out of her eyes.

"No surprise there, he always was"

She could swear that a smile was almost making it's way across Kaiba's face, but all too quickly he reverted back to his usual expression.

"Yeah and good luck trying to wrap your head around Synchro Summoning" He said, as he was obviously preparing to walk away from her once again.

Yumi raised an eyebrow at the name of the summon.

"Synchro...Summon?"

With a knowing smirk, Kaiba nodded at her, turned around and walked away.

Sighing internally, she turned around and walked over to one of the posters on display, thinking things over intently.

"I wish we could just get along like we used to...I hope that the rivalry that was so long running with our grandfather's hasn't carried on to us"

Unknown to Yumi, another old friend of hers was standing behind her with a smile.

He'd spotted her while she was talking to Kaiba, since he hadn't wanted to interrupt he had waited until they were done. Being polite was a trademark of his.

"But...Kaiba-khun does have a habit of pushing things..." Yumi continued, a thoughtful look on her face which caused the friend to smile even more.

"Yumi-chan" He addressed her with a kind tone.

Snapping out of her thoughts, Yumi's eyes went wide when she heard the familiar voice. The voice that had a slight accent to it, but was instantly recongisable.

Raising her head, she turned around to face him, a smile filled with both surprise and joy appearing on her face.

"Bakura-khun!"

The pale skinned boy smiled at her, brown eyes warm and friendly.

He was the grandson of Ryou and was by far the oldest and closest of Yumi's friends. He had short white hair that resembled his grandfathers and wore a blue t-shirt with a dragon on it, blue jeans and white trainers.

Letting out a squeak of happiness, Yumi hurried forward and hugged him.

A blush made it's way across the boy's pale cheeks, as well as a smile.

"You're back from England!" Yumi cheered before breaking away and looked up at him.

"How are you?" she asked kindly.

Chuckling a little at her expression, Bakura spoke.

"I'm fine, how have you been Yumi-chan? I haven't seen you in a while"

Yumi nodded, a bright smile on her face.

"I'm good Bakura-khun, but, you just missed Kaiba-khun by a few minutes-"

Bakura's smile turned into a concerned frown.

"Oh, what's wrong?" Yumi asked worriedly.

"Is Kaiba-Katsuro bothering you?" Bakura asked, it was almost as if there was a hint of anger in his usually kind voice.

Seeming confused, Yumi shook her head.

"No, he's fine, he only asked if I was here to look at the new monsters. Don't worry about me Bakura-khun"

Regaining his kind expression once again, Bakura nodded.

"I'm glad"

Brown met with Deep Blue as the two friends regarded each other.

Suddenly, the approaching voice of the redhead student caught their attention.

There was a real sense of tiredness to her voice as she walked into the room.

"Yumi-chan we need to go, Takara is close to causing a riot downstairs and-"

A surprised smile crossed her face when she saw Bakura standing there.

"Bakura-khun! I didn't know you were back from England!"

Waving, Bakura addressed Mizuki with a smile.

"Hello Mizuki-chan"

Walking over to them, the redhead folded her arms and sighed.

"We'd better get going Yumi-chan, we don't want to get in trouble"

Nodding in agreement, Yumi spoke.

"Yeah, let's go"

*/*

After they had parted ways with Sayuri and Takara, the three friends headed down the road together.

As Yumi skipped on ahead, Mizuki walked back a few steps to talk to Bakura.

"Hey, Bakura-khun, how is your mother doing?" She whispered gently.

"She's doing a lot better, the doctor said that she might be able to get transferred back here soon"

He whispered back, a look of pure hope burning in his dark brown eyes.

Smiling, Mizuki gave him a supportive pat on the shoulder.

"I hope she get's well, tell her that my mom was asking for her"

Bakura nodded gratefully.

"Thank you"

With that, she skipped forward to talk to Yumi.

"This is me Yumi-chan, I'll see you tomorrow ok?"

Smiling, Yumi winked.

"Ok, I'll see you Mizuki-chan"

With a wave and a smile, the redheaded student hurried off down the lane that lead to her house.

After waving back, Bakura turned to Yumi.

"I'll walk you home if you like Yumi-chan"

Face lighting up, Yumi nodded.

"Thank you Bakura-khun"

With that, the two friends continued on their way.

*/*

*/AN/*

Thanks for reading this chapter guys!

Huge thanks to YamiFreak.

Please check her stories out, they are wonderful.

Till next time!


	3. Chapter 3

Yu-Gi-Oh:Journey of the heart

Chapter 3. The being of love herself appears!

*/*

After parting ways with Bakura, Yumi headed into the living room of her house.

Photo's of her and her grandfather hung on the walls, eternally watching over her.

It was only when she was alone that Yumi could truly acknowledge just how empty her life felt without her Grandpa there to guide her.

Sighing, she took off her schoolbag and slumped down on the sofa, taking off her blazer and pulling her deck out from the pocket before placing the cards on the table and hanging her blazer up on the coathanger.

Standing alone in the living room, she remained in silence, not quite sure what to do with herself as usual.

When she was with her friends, she felt so happy and content and could forget her troubles for a short time, but whenever she had to remain alone until the next day rolled around, the pain began to sting once again.

Running a hand through her blond bangs, Yumi's eyes fell upon something resting on the shelf. It was something she had been trying to complete, but with little success.

Nevertheless, she knew that if she dared try and give up, it would be nothing but a disgusting insult to her Grandfather.

Bearing these thoughts in mind, she walked over to the shelf, taking a moment to examine a picture of herself when she was a baby, this brought a trace of a smile to her face, but was soon lost as she regained focus.

Reaching up, she pulled a small wooden box down from the shelf, walked back over and placed it down carefully on the table before taking a seat on the sofa.

"It's strange, when I first tried to fix this I did well...but after Grandpa went missing I've made little to no progress.."

The box itself was nothing spectacular, it was what lay within that Yumi desired.

Sighing, she reached forward, and with the greatest care, she lifted the lid off of the box.

This time, a genuine, yet determined smile crossed her face.

"My treasure..."

In the box was a pile of assorted pieces that seemed to be the broken up parts of an old necklace.

A spherical red gem served as the main part of the necklace. However, the remaining parts were supposedly meant to resemble the drawing on the box's lid when completed.

"The sun disc and horns, the symbol of the godddess Hathor herself"

There was a sense of respect and sincerity when she spoke about her treasure, a side of her that she didn't normally show to others.

Yumi set to work as usual to try and put the necklace back together.

Carved into the wood on the side were the words-

'Whomever is deemed honest and loving enough to own this gem, shall recieve the power of my love and grace. However, be warned. They who recieve my love, shall also recieve my wrath and fury'

Many a time had Yumi pondered over the meaning of the words, without receiving a desirable answer.

As she fiddled with the pieces of the necklace, thoughts of her friend crossed Yumi's mind.

*I'm glad Bakura-khun's mother is feeling better, I know how worried he was about her the past few months. Poor Bakura-khun, he always has to deal with so much. I'm amazed that he's still the kind person he is, and for that I admire him*

Yumi continued working with a sigh.

*As a matter of fact, I admire each of my friends. Sayuri for her duelling skills, Takara for her confidence,...and Mizuki for her courage...*

Raising her eyebrows, Yumi thought of something else.

"Maybe I admire them all so much because I know how much It would hurt to lose them...After all, I love them all just as much as Grandpa..*

Suddenly, her eyes widened in realisation.

The necklace was more than halfway finished.

"Wh-What?! Its almost complete! Why am I making such progress tonight?..."

Raising her head up, she looked at the ceiling for a moment.

*Could you be helping me?..." she asked internally.

Placing it back in her deck, a determined look burned bright in her eyes.

*Alright. I can do this!*

Picking up the pieces, Yumi procedded to place them together with unbelievable ease, all the while her thoughts were running wild with possibilities.

*Could Grandpa be watching over me somehow?...He's the one who gave me this...did he know that this was meant for me?...Just like the Millenium Puzzle was meant for him?*

Memories of his stories of the Nameless Pharoh came flooding back to her as she recalled each of their escapades vividly, as though she had viewed them all herself.

Slowly, things started to come together, piece by piece.

*Maybe not...but...there's only one way to find out!*

Soon enough, there was only one piece remaining.

Staring at it intently, Yumi slowly reached across and picked it up before pushing it into place ever so gently.

Time itself seemed to slow down as she withdrew her hand from the red jewel and she could feel her deafening heartbeat ringing in her ears.

Hands trembling, she reached forward and picked up the necklace, lifting it up and holding it close to her chest.

Silence reigned over the room for a good few moments as she couldn't quite believe that she had finally fixed it.

Letting out a giggle, Yumi cheered triumphantly.

"I did it! I fixed my treasure!"

Sitting back down, she closed her eyes and smiled.

*Grandpa...I finally did it...finally...*

Unbeknownst to her, the gem began to shine brightly, reflecting off of her chest.

All of a sudden, a beam of light burst from the necklace and illuminated the room in a red glow.

Eyes snapping open, Yumi gasped and stood up.

"Wh-what?!" As the light grew brighter, the necklace began to float out of Yumi's hands and hovered just above her forehead, shining brightly.

Taking a step back, Yumi trembled in fear, blue eyes wide and unblinking.

"This can't be real...I must be dreaming!..."

Suddenly, Yumi's deck began to move around on the desk, as if something was trying to escape from it.

Before Yumi could think of anything to say, the spirits of the duel monsters burst from the cards and surrounded her.

Observing all of her monsters in front of her like this only increased her fear.

"What the hell is happening?!" she screamed.

Feeling something furry touch her shoulder, Yumi looked back to see a very familiar brown puffball floating there.

"K-Kuriboh?!" She cried out in question.

With a giggle, Kuriboh jumped off of her shoulder and flew up towards the necklace, which was shining brighter than ever.

A bead of sweat ran down Yumi's forehead as she was unable to remove her gaze from the glowing jewel, or to move her body. She was totally frozen to the spot.

"This is impossible...It just can't be..."

The spirits of her monsters laughed at her words before turning to face the necklace.

A figure appeared in the red light, Yumi couldn't make out a face, or an appearance in general but there was something Devine about it's presence.

All of the monsters bowed in reverence towards the light, showing the upmost respect.

Suddenly, an unearthly and angelic voice spoke out to Yumi.

"Yumiko Muto, you are the one destined to hold the necklace of love"

Upon hearing the holy voice, Yumi's entire body began to shake, yet she was still unable to move.

"Who are you?...H-How do you know my name?..."

The silhouette raised it's head, the light from the necklace glowing at an almost blinding brightness.

"I am Hathor, the lady of love. And you are the one destined to hold my powers Yumiko" the voice replied.

Eyes widening, Yumi's thoughts turned to the box on the table.

"The inscription...So that's what it meant..."

Suddenly everything seemed to fit into place.

The angelic voice spoke once again, it's soft and warm tone settling in Yumi's ears.

"You who holds the most honest and loving heart, you shall be blessed with my love"

"Really?..." Yumi questioned, not really thinking that she was worth the blessing of a goddess.

Sensing this, the voice continued.

"However, whilst you hold the grace and peace of Hathor, you must also bear the rage and fury of Sekhmet"

Images of fire and war flashed it's way through Yumi's mind, causing her to gasp in fright.

"Sekhmet?...the goddess of war?"

Rising up, Hathor became fully visible, revealing her face to Yumi.

There were no words in the entirety of the universe to describe the beauty that stood before her.

Suddenly, her monsters turned and faced her, awaiting the command.

Taking the necklace in her hand and raising it up, the goddess declared her wish.

"Now Yumiko. I BESTOW UPON YOU MY POWERS!"

The symbol of the sun disc and horns appeared on Yumi's forehead, glowing bright red.

All Yumi could do was gasp in sheer shock.

"Wha..."

The light from the gem became blinding as it filled the room completely. The duel spirits rose up and burst towards her in an incredible burst of energy.

Yumi screamed as she was blown off of her feet and knocked out of consciousness.

*/*

[Flashback]

"Yumiko! Come here!"

"Yes Grandpa!" the young girl rushed into the room, blowing her long blong bangs out of her face in excitement.

With a chuckle, Yugi spoke.

"Come and sit down, i've got something I want to show you" nodding, she hurried over to the couch and hoisted herself up.

"What is it Grandpa?" she asked cheerfully.

Smiling again, Yugi pulled out a wooden box and placed it down on the table.

"Look in the box"

Eyes filled with curiousity, Yumi lifted up the lid of the box, eyes widening when she saw what was inside.

"Pretty!" chuckling again at her reaction, Yugi gestured to the contents of the box.

"A friend of mine sent me this from Egypt. He thinks that it might be a necklace of some sort"

"Why are you showing me it?" she asked in curiosity.

Looking kindly at his granddaughter, he spoke.

"Its for you to try and put back together, its a treasure for you"

A huge smile crossed Yumi's little face and her eyes lit up as she hugged her grandfather.

"Thank you Grandpa!" a warm smile crossed the old man's face as he held his granddaughter in his arms.

"You're more than welcome, Yu-hime"

*/*

Eyes snapping open, Yumi sat up. Daylight was peering through the blinds as the sun was just rising.

*What happened to me?...why am I on the floor?* she thought to herself.

Holding her forehead, she got to her feet.

Feeling something clink against her chest, she looked down, eyes widening when she saw the necklace.

"That's right! I completed it!...Still doesn't explain why I was lying on the floor though..."

Stretching, she walked through to her bedroom to get ready.

*/*

*/AN/*

Thanks for reading guys!

Please Rate & Review!

Till next time.


	4. Chapter 4

Yu-Gi-Oh:Journey of the heart

Chapter 4: A duel?

Standing in his study, Katsuro looked out of the window, observing the city go about it's business.

Several thoughts and ideas were working their way through his head as usual, but one particular one stuck out to him.

*With my new Synchro Monster's, I've one many duels so far...Not that that makes much of a difference to my usual victory count, however, I have yet to unlock the true power of these beasts and what they can truly do...*

Glancing to the desk a few feet away from the window, his eyes fell upon an old framed photograph that showed himself, Yumi, Hideo and Mizuki from a few years previously.

Oddly enough, he was actually smiling in it.

Frowning, he clenched his fists when he looked at himself standing next to Yumi in the photo.

He internally cursed himself for being so happy in the picture.

Noticing his angry expression, one of his several bodyguards spoke up.

"Are you alright sir?"

Raising his head, Katsuro glared at him with his cold blue eyes.

"Who moved this picture in here?"

His voice was calm, but was laced with threat.

Making sure that he didn't make him mad, the bodyguard replied with a monotone vice.

"Oh, I think one of the new maids found it while she was cleaning-"

"Well tell her she's fired"

Katsuro replied coldly before turning back around to face the window, clenching the picture frame tightly in his hands.

*However, on the matter of Yumi, I have a little something in store for the next time we meet...*

Looking down at the picture again, Katsuro frowned and dropped it to the floor, shattering the glass onto the carpet.

*Let's see you win against me this time Muto Yumiko...*

*/ *

Panting for breath, Yumi ran through the street at full speed.

She was still unsure of what had exactly had happened the night before, but she took pride in the fact that her treasure was now complete.

She could not wait to show her necklace off, which currently clinked against her chest in an fast-paced rhythm that matched with her ever quickening steps.

Again,

"No more late nights for me! That's for sure!"

Suddenly, she bumped into a man that shoved her hard.

"Watch out of the way you bitch!" he growled before marching away.

Gasping, she stepped backwards in shock.

"What the-"

All of a sudden, the necklace glowed and seemed to turn the surrounding street and buildings a red colour.

The people walking by changed into sillouettes. Some a dark purple colour and other's a light pink colour, causing the Hathor symbol to appear on Yumi's forehead. Nervously touching her head, Yumi raised her eyebrows.

She felt a strange deep burning sensation in her heart,...It wasn't painful, but it certainly wasn't pleasant either.

"Wh-What's going on?" all of a sudden, a card flew out from her pocket and shape-shifted into the brown puffball.

"Kuriboh?" she asked with a confused expression.

With a giggle, Kuriboh flew down and nuzzled her cheek, making her giggle.

"Hey! That tickles!" Shaking her head, Yumi looked around the strange red space.

Whenever a purple silhouette drew by, the sensation in her heart grew greater.

Confused and slightly paranoid, Yumi turned to the puffball for answers.

"What is this place?"

Squeaking, Kuriboh pointed at her necklace.

Clutching it in her hands, Yumi spoke with a sincere tone of voice.

"My necklace? That's what's causing this?" Kuriboh nodded and perched on her shoulder.

Standing perfectly still, Yumi stared at the silhouettes with a surprisingly calm expression.

"So...this allows me to see into people's hearts?"

Floating up, Kuriboh hovered over one of the purple silhouettes and pulled as threatening a face as he could manage, growling and bearing his claws in a 'scary fashion'. Yumi smiled as she tried not to chuckle at his expression.

"I get it. If someone's aura is purple, it means they have an evil heart, but, if their aura is the pink colour, it means that they have a good heart"

Doing a little jump for joy, Kuriboh flew back down and nuzzled her cheek again.

Chuckling, Yumi thought to herself.

*Grandpa...I have no idea what I'm supposed to do with this power...but hopefully, hopefully I might be able to use it to get closer to finding you...*

All of a sudden, her eyes widened in realisation.

"Oh no! I'm going to be late!"

As her surroundings returned to normal, Yumi continued on her way.

*/*

"Hey, where's Yumi-chan? It's not like her to arrive this late"

Sayuri said, scanning the classroom for her pointy-haired friend, but to no avail.

"Maybe she slept in" Mizuki replied with a shrug, secretly worried herself.

*I hope nothing's happened to her...Oh god! What if she's been in an accident?!*

Takara yawned and stretched, kicking her legs slightly.

"Well, I don't know where Yumi is, but I do know that i'll be in detention after school"

Bakura let out a tired sigh before turning to face the brunette.

"Again Takara?"

Unfortunately, Takara had a bad habit of being a little too vocal in class and this inevitably landed her in trouble with her teachers.

Takara frowned and spoke in a defensive tone of voice.

"Hey! He insulted my mother! He was asking to be slapped!"

Rolling her eyes, Mizuki face-palmed it.

"Jesus..."

Jumping up, Takara smiled and waved to the group.

"Well, later kiddies, i'm off to see my science teacher...again" With a wink, she headed out of the room.

Sayuri shook her head with a smile.

"That girl's going to wind up in trouble that's over her head one day"

Mizuki looked at her with raised eyebrows.

"You don't think that I know that?"

Suddenly, a voice of a fellow student spoke up.

"Hideo-san"

Turning around, Hideo spotted a purple haired boy standing in front of him.

"Morning, Noboru-san" He addressed the fellow student with a slight smile.

"Is that Muto girl here yet?"

Noboru asked, clearly wanting to get back to his seat and read as he was the class bookworm.

Shaking his head, Hideo replied.

"No, not yet, she'll probably be here soon though"

Sighing, Noboru continued, clearly losing interest.

"Well when you see her, tell her that Kaiba-san is looking for her"

A frown crossed Hideo's face.

*That Katsuro, just what is it he wants with her?* he thought to himself.

"Will do, thank you Noboru-san"

With a nod, the purple haired boy walked away.

"Katsuro's looking for Yumi-chan?.." Sayuri said with a confused expression.

*Why are you looking for her Katsuro?...Surely you're not...*

Before she could finish her thought, she walked over to her desk and sat down.

"Something's not right..."

Mizuki added with a frown, resting her chin on her hand.

Hideo looked down at his hands worriedly, deep in thought.

*He probably wants to duel her with his new Synchro Monsters...I just hope that's all it is...he's hurt Yumi-chan enough already...If he were to lay a hand on her I-*

Noticing his expression, Mizuki spoke up, a concerned look on her face.

"Bakura-khun, you ok?"

Snapping back into reality, Hideo turned to face the redhead and nodded.

"Yeah, i'm ok Mizuki-chan"

It was at this point that Yumi ran in, completely out of breath and with pink cheeks.

"Morning...everyone..." she panted, holding her knees as her necklace clinked against her chest.

"Well, someone's in late" Mizuki said with a smile.

Smiling back, Yumi rubbed her forehead just like she always did when she was embarrassed.

She let out a nervous chuckle before speaking.

"Sorry, I was busy last night"

A small smile crossed Hideo's face as she spoke.

*At least she's ok...*

Suddenly, his gaze fell upon her necklace, eyes widening in amazement when he saw it.

"Oh, Yumi-chan, where did you get that?"

Confused for a moment, Yumi quickly realised what he was asking about.

"Hmn? Oh! Right!"

Holding it in her hands, Yumi smiled proudly.

"Its my treasure" she announced.

Mizuki gasped in amazement, taken in by the beauty of the necklace.

"It's beautiful...your Grandpa left you this to be your treasure?..."

Yumi nodded, clutching it close to her chest.

"That's why I never gave up trying to put it back together, even after all of these years. I just knew, that if Grandpa entrusted me with this, for me to have a treasure all of my own,...I just knew that it was too special to forget about"

"Its beautiful Yumi-chan" Hideo said with a smile, blushing slightly when she smiled back at him.

Remembering the conversation from a few moments before, Mizuki spoke.

"Yumi-chan"

"Yes?" Yumi asked curiously.

"Apparently Kaiba is looking for you"

She continued with a confused look and a shrug. Yumi raised her eyebrows at this.

"Kaiba-khun is looking for me?..." she questioned

*Could it be...does he want to be friends again?..."

Suddenly, one of the students standing at the door called out to the class.

"Sensei's coming! Get to your seats!"

Mizuki sat down as she was already in her seat, Yumi sat in the seat next to her and Hideo sat behind her.

The teacher walked over to the board and turned to adress the class.

"Rise"

*/*

A few hours later, Katsuro stood on the roof area of the school, staring out over the playground, duel disk in hand.

The sound of someone approaching him made him turn around.

Sure enough, Yumi was walking towards him with a concerned look on her face.

"Is everything alright Kaiba-khun?"

A smirk crossed his face.

"Oh yeah, I'm fine" Yumi sighed in relief.

"Good. So, what is it you wanted to see me for?"

There was an clear look of hope in her eyes that she couldn't hide, this made him scoff.

*Really Yumi? I thought you knew me better than most people...you should have been able to figure it out by now*

Walking over towards the left edge of the roof, he turned around to face her again.

"I invited you up here for one reason and one reason alone"

Yumi knew that look in his eyes all too well.

*Oh no...he's going to...*

Smirk growing wider, he pointed in her direction.

"To challenge you to a duel!" Lowering her head, Yumi clenched her fists.

*I should have known...But he should know that I don't want to duel...*

With a sigh, she began to apologise.

"I'm sorry Kaiba-khun, but-"

"Do you have your deck and your duel disk?" he interuppted impatiently.

"Yes but-"

"Then what's the problem?" he finished his sentence with a smirk.

Sighing in defeat, Yumi closed her eyes sadly.

"Very well Kaiba-khun, if I must then..." Eyes snapping open with a determined look, she pointed in his direction.

" I accept your challenge!"

*/*

*/AN/*

Thanks for reading guys!

Rate & Review!


	5. Chapter 5

Yu-Gi-Oh:Journey of the heart

Chapter 5, History repeats itself

All of a sudden, Yumi felt her necklace glow slightly. Her eyes widened at the strange sensation.

It was exactly like before, yet this time it seemed to pierce her heart with something sharp...it almost felt as though someone was trying to stab her with razor sharp claws.

A pained gasp escaped her as suddenly images of fire and burning flashed through her mind, as if something was trying to escape from deep inside her mind.

Something. Something was clawing it's way to the surface.

"Wh-what?" she whispered, clutching her necklace tightly.

The light in her deep blue eyes vanished as they slowly turned dark and vacant, her hands dropped to her side and her gaze remained fixed on the ground.

Ever so slowly, her grip on reality faded and her mind began to go blank.

Her opponent wasn't even aware of what was happening to her.

"You may think that you have improved since we last met, but I will show you who's deck is stronger"

With a smirk, Katsuro raised his left arm, showing off his duel disk proudly.

"Well let's get started then shall we?"

Saying nothing, Yumi slowly turned around and started to walk back towards the door, her eyes hidden by her long blond bangs.

Irritated at this, Katsuro stood up straight and clenched his fists.

"Oi! Muto! Where the hell do you think you're going?!"

Pausing, Yumi stood motionlessly without looking back.

The air seemed to turn cold all of a sudden as the gentle breeze blew through Yumi's hair before the pointy-haired duellist broke the silence.

She spoke with an unusual dark tone of voice that seemed entirely different than her normal cheery tone.

"I'm sure we both agree Kaiba-khun, we don't want word of this spreading around the whole school, besides, unlike yourself, I actually care about attending my classes"

Raising his eyebrows for a moment, Katsuro shook his head and regained his usual cold expression.

"Well what do you propose then?!"

Remaining completely motionless, Yumi replied.

"Meet me in the park after school, we'll duel there"

Turning around to face him, she smirked, wearing a completely different look on her face, her eyes holding a dark glint in them.

"Unless you fear defeat"

Katsuro frowned, the words that were coming out of her mouth were completely abnormal for her.

*Is this really the Yumi I know?..*

"Of course not! Be there at 4 O'clock and come alone! Then we'll see who fears defeat!"

Yumi's smirk grew wider and a low chuckle escaped her lips.

"Very well. Until then Kaiba-khun"

With that, she turned and walked back into the building, necklace gently clinking against her chest.

"In the meantime, I have something that I need to take care of" she said quietly.

A single bead of sweat rolled down Katsuro's forehead.

*Why did she look and sound so different? It couldn't be that weird necklace she has changed her somehow?...*

He shook his head at the thought.

*No. I'm talking crazy, Yumi's still as weak and pathetic as ever, there's absolutely no chance of what happened before happening again. All that matters now is that I beat her in a duel, maybe then I can finally stand up next to Gramps...*

He smirked to himself as he headed back inside.

*No matter what number of powerful Spellcaster monsters she has in her deck, Yumi's no match for my new Synchro monsters, and this duel will be the perfect oppurtunity to test their strength...*

*/*

On her way back to class, Yumi passed the locker area, where the usual group of rebels were hanging out, swapping stolen cards, toys and other items taken from unwitting students.

"Hey Takahashi, look who's walking our way" One of them said.

Takahashi spotted her passing and jumped to his feet, his usual grin on his face.

"Oi, Yumi-chan!"

Yumi paused without looking back, her voice still holding the dark and confident tone from before.

"Its Muto-san to you, Takahashi" this was greeted with many laughs and whistles from the group of boys.

Chuckling, Takahasi's eye's went to her blazer pocket, where he could just see her deck sticking out.

A mischevious glint shone in his eyes as he had an idea for another one of his scemes.

"Say Muto-san, seeing as you're here, how about you show me those special cards of yours?"

Saying nothing, Yumi gestured to a corner down the hall before walking away.

Grinning even wider, Takahashi follwed her round the corner and down the hallway, stopping next to the girls lavatory.

The lights there had been broken for a few days, so it was rather dark. This didn't faze him though, as his mind was only on one thing.

"So, Muto-san, lets see those cards"

With most of her face hidden by the shadows, Yumi smirked and handed him her deck.

"Here"

Snatching the cards out of her hands, he flicked through them, his face lighting up at every card.

Standing with her arms folded, Yumi watched his actions with bemusement.  
>All of a sudden, Takahashi's eyes widened when he saw one card in paticular, a bead of sweat running down his forehead.<p>

*N-No way! I didn't believe that she would really have this!...I have to have this card!*

Grinning at himself, Takahashi let the cards slip through his fingers and fall onto the floor.

"Oh, clumsy me"

As Yumi knelt down to pick them up, so did he, secretly slipping the disired card into his pocket.  
>Gathering the rest up, the two stood up. Handing the cards back to her, Takahashi nodded.<p>

"Thanks for that. See you Muto-san!" he said before running off.

Still hidden by shadow, Yumi's smirk faded and a low growl escaped her mouth.

Running back down the corridor, Takahashi chuckled loudly.

*What an idiot! She didn't even notice that it was missing! Now it belongs to me!*

Suddenly, the entire corridor was plunged into darkness.

Skidding to an abrupt hault, Takahashi frowned.

"What the hell?!" turning to look behind him, his face went white in horror.

Yumi was standing there, her eyes glowing red, a golden symbol of a cobra shone on her forehead and an unbelievably terrifying look of anger on her face.

"Y-Yumi-chan?!" Takahashi squeaked, too scared to move.

Yumi's voice was dark, booming and threatening, it would strike fear into the heart of even the bravest man.

"Steal my grandfather's most treasured monster will you?!" her eyes narrowed.

"The goddess's wrath has been awakened, and now you shall suffer the consequences!"

Letting out an earth-shattering roar of rage, she raised her hands and sent a blast of dark firey energy shooting towards him, making him scream in sheer terror.

*/*

Lying, quivering on the floor, Takahashi trembled, fear clear on his face, eyes wide and unblinking.

Looking at him with a frown, Yumi looked at the card in question that she had retrieved.

*Dark Magician. I shall return you to your rightful place* she thought to herself.  
>Slipping it into her pocket, Yumi contined down the corridor, leaving the young boy shaking on the floor, lost in his fear.<p>

*/*

As Yumi took her seat, her necklace glowed again and her eyes returned to her normal deep blue as confusion crossed her face.

*What happened to me?...I just sort of blanked out*

Mizuki nudged her shoulder and passed her the pile of notes.

"Here Yumi-chan, you can copy off of me" Yumi smiled at her gratefully.

"Thank you Mizuki-chan" as she set about copying her notes, she looked out of the window.

*I'm looking forward to dueling with Kaiba-khun, it should be fun* smiling again, she scribbled away happily.

Outside the classroom, the group of rebels surrounded their friend.

"Taka-khun!" one cried.

"Are you alright?!" another asked. Trembling, a grin crossed his face as he let out a shriek of terrified laughter.

"Taka-khun! Taka-khun!"

"Snap out of it!"

*/*

*/AN/*

Dun-Dun-Dun!

Until next time.


	6. Chapter 6

Yu-Gi-Oh: Journey of the heart

Chapter 6. Descendents clash: Part 1

As the bell rang to end the day, Hideo hurried over to Yumi.

"Yumi-chan, do you want to come with us to the arcade?"

With a gentle smile, Yumi shook her head.

"Sorry Bakura-khun, I have some things that I need to do"

Hideo nodded, secretly disappointed that she couldn't come.

"Alright, I'll see you later Yumi-chan"

Standing up, Yumi walked over to the door and headed out of the classroom.

Hideo stared after her with a smile before heading back to his desk and packing away the rest of his school things.

Stretching with a groan, Mizuki walked over to him with raised eyebrows.

"Bakura-khun, where's Yumi-chan going?" Hideo shrugged.

"Home I think, she said that she had some things that she needed to do"

Mizuki paused for a moment, as if she was remembering something. Then it came to her, her eyes widening in realisation.

"That's right! I promised mother that I'd meet my cousin after school! Tell the others that I can't make it!"

She blurted out before rushing out the door.

"Will do!"

Hideo called after her before smiling and shaking his head.

*The two of you can be really similar at times, no wonder that you're both so close*

*/*

Just before 4 o'clock, Yumi paused outside the gates of the park and looked at her deck.

She'd changed out of her school uniform and into her normal outfit, which consisted of a long sleeved grey t-shirt, pinkish-red skinny jeans, knee high lace-up brown leather boots, a waist-length short sleeved jacket coloured light red.

Not forgetting her necklace of course, which she now clutched tightly in her delicate fingers.

Taking a composing breath, she pulled out her duel disk from her schoolbag, placed her deck in the slot and attatched it to her left arm.

It was a very bright red, with a light crimson colour around the edges and the gaps. (Think of a similar version to Yugi's but with curved edges)

Compared to the disks that some of her friends had, (Katsuro especially) it seemed rather old fashioned, but Yumi wouldn't part with it for anything, there were far too many happy memories attached to it.

Standing up straight, she made her way into the park, a clear sense of determination burning in her deep blue eyes.

As she passed a group of kids hanging out by the pond, several of them paused in their game and stared at her curiously.

"Hey, that girl's hair is a bit weird" The blond haired one stated.

Suddenly, one of the other kids piped up.

"Hang on! Isn't she-"

Stopping and turning around, Yumi smiled at them and nodded before continuing on her way, leaving them in awe.

*No doubt Kaiba-khun will want to test out his new Synchro Monsters. But, he's forgetting the difference between having powerful monsters and truely understanding your deck*

Touching her necklace, Yumi sighed.

*If you don't take the time to analyse each of your monster's unique abilities

A frown crossed her face as she approached the desired spot where sure enough, Katsuro was waiting for her.

Stopping a few metres away from him, she braced herself.

*Looks like it's my job to remind him*

"Kaiba-khun" she spoke in as calm a voice as she could manage.

Turning around, he smirked when he saw her standing there.

*Knew it*

"Well well, look who decided to show up"

Saying nothing, Yumi raised her left arm and showed him her duel-disk, not caring about the sarcastic look he was giving her.

"Even though you are my friend Kaiba-khun, you should know that I will not be holding back" she stated with determination.

Katsuro scoffed and raised his left arm, showing her his duel-disk.

"Well you aren't my friend and I certainly won't be holding back!"

Yumi sighed internally, nodded and activated her duel disk.

"Good luck Kaiba-khun" she said with a kind smile.

Katsuro frowned and activated his duel disk.

"Enough stalling! Let's get this over with!"

"Let's duel!" both of them cried.

*/*

"Let's duel!"

The pair procceded to draw their cards.

"I'll start things off!" Katsuro said, drawing a card from his deck and smirking.

"I summon 'Storm Wing Warrior' in attack mode!" (*Warrior. Lv 2 ATK 200*)

The small monster appeared on the field, it had white armour with the image of storm cloud engraved on its chest, a small shield with the same image, a small sword and grey wings sticking out of its back.

Yumi smiled when she saw what monster it was, earning a cold look from her opponent.

"Next, I place one card face down and end my turn!" A chuckle escaped Katsuro as he did this.

"Let's see what you've got Muto"

Yumi frowned as she looked at his face down card.

*Going for his usual strategy I see. Kaiba-khun must be planning to boost his Warrior's attack by 500 points each turn with 'Storm Wing Boost'. Not this time though..*

"It's my turn!" she said, drawing the card from her deck and then looking at her hand.

"First off, I play the magic card 'Mystical Space Typhoon' to destroy your face down card"

*Damn it!* Katsuro thought as he glared at her.

Yumi took in his reaction closely before continuing.

"Next, I summon 'Lady Panther' in attack mode!" (*Beast-Warrior/Effect Lv 4 ATK 1400*)

The lepoard-skinned, armour-clad warrior jumped into battle.

Extending her hand towards the target, Yumi shouted out her orders.

"Go 'Lady Panther'! Attack his 'Storm Wing Warrior'!"

Obeying her command, the beast-warrior leapt forward and destroyed the target with one slash of her staff before jumping back into position.

As his life points decreased, Kaiba glared at her. (*4000-1200=2800*)

"I place two cards face down and I end my turn" Yumi said with a small smile.

*Alright, things are looking good so far, I just have to play it safe from here*

"Don't act so smug after one lucky move! I'm planning to completely destroy you!"

Katsuro yelled, his voice thick with anger.

*He has a cheek to talk about acting smug* Yumi thought with a sigh.

"It's my turn and I summon 'Storm Wing Synchron' in attack position!"

(*Machine/Tuner. Lv 2 ATK 300*)

A small white coloured robot bearing the same symbol as the previous monster appeared on the field.

Yumi's eyes widened in realisation as the images of the new monsters that she had seen previously sprung to mind.

*A tuner monster?...That's right! A tuner monster is a new monster that can help summon a certain type of monster...that means that Kaiba-khun must be planning to peform a Synchro Summon!...But why so early in the game?*

Smirking at her reaction, he continued.

"Next, If 'Storm Wing Synchron is on my field in attack position and my opponent has a level four or higher monster on their field, I can special summon 'Storm Wing Guardian!'" (*Warrior/Effect. Lv 6 ATK 1900*) A female warrior in the trademark armour with a large blade appeared on the field.

Waving his hand, Katsuro called out his orders.

"Now! I tune my 'Storm Wing Synchron' and my 'Storm Wing Guardian to Synchro Summon 'Storm Wing Dragon!"

A large light filled the space as the two monsters tuned with each other.

It was bizarre to say the least.

Yumi stared up at this with wide eyes as suddenly, a large dragon appeared before her.

(Dragon/Synchro/Effect Lv 8 ATK 3000)

It was a large, grey skinned beast with dark eyes, and literal storm clouds for wings.

It let out a fierce roar as it beat its wings in anticipation, sending gusts of wind towards her.

*No way...* Yumi thought to herself, panic clear in her eyes.

Kaiba let out a burst of triumphant laughter.

"Well Yumi, let's see you work your way out of this. If you can, I end my turn with a face down"

Nervously, Yumi reached for the card at the top of her deck.

*Please, help me...*

*/*

*/AN/*

Thanks for reading guys! And as always, Rate & Review


	7. Chapter 7

Yu-Gi-Oh: Journey of the heart

Chapter 7: Descendent's clash part 2

*/*

(The previous night)

On one of the many bridges in Domino city, Katsuro stood alone, staring down at his reflection in the river.

Suddenly, his reflection was joined by another, one with red hair and blue eyes.

"I'm here" the owner of the second reflection announced.

Looking up, Kaiba turned to face her with a frown.

"Took you long enough"

Mizuki returned the frown with a sneer.

Like him, she was still in her school uniform, as she herself was not long back from extra studying.

"Just what is it you want Kaiba-Katsuro? I wish to get back to my mother, so make this quick"

She gave him a long, cold glare as she said this.

Scoffing, Katsuro turned back and looked down at his reflection once again.

"Its about Yumiko Muto"

The redhead clenched her fists threatingly.

"I swear Kaiba, if you dare hurt Yumi-chan-"

Looking her in the eyes, Katsuro smirked at her.

"Why would I do something stupid like that?"

Cross with the way he looked down on her, Mizuki's glare grew darker.

"W-what?!"

Smirking again, he briefly pulled out his deck.

"The only thing I want with Yumiko Muto is to duel her"

*There's a big surprise* Mizuki thought to herself.

"If that's all you want, then what did you call me here for?"

Pocketing his cards, Katsuro raised his head and looked her directly in the eyes.

"That's not it. She has a serious issue that is stopping her from becoming a duelist that actually stands a chance in this kind of world"

With that sentence, Mizuki was once again reminded of her sheer dislike for Katsuro. Clenching her fists, she spoke with a determination to stick up for her best friend.

"She has more honour and respect for duel monsters than you can ever hope to have!"

Sighing, Katsuro raised his hands in defence.

"If you'll kindly let me finish..." Lowering her hands, Mizuki glared at him once again.

*Who is he to talk about Yumi-chan in that way?!* Closing his eyes, Katsuro continued.

"Yumiko-Muto has one problem. It's a very simple one, but it has a massive effect on her method as a duelist"

"...Care to enlighten me on what that paticular problem is?"

Mizuki asked, impatience clear in her voice. Opening his eyes, Katsuro stared directly into hers once again.

"She can't let go of the past"

A surprised look crossed the redhead's face. A cool breeze gently blew through her auburn locks as she raised her eyebrows.

"I don't understand, why is that a bad thing? We should honour the past and treat it with respect!" Shaking his head, Katsuro continued.

"It is true that we should pay reverence to our ancestors at appropriate times, however, Yumiko Muto is the exception. She's consumed by it, and it's affecting her as a duelist"

Anger brewing inside of her, Mizuki resisted the urge to push him.

"Her Grandfather is missing! Of course she might not be at her best right now! But that doesn't mean-"

Katsuro's cold blue eyes glared right back at her, it was such a cold look that she was momentarily stunned into silence.

"I should have known that you would just try to blindly defend her without listening to reason. Then again, that is what you mainly do isn't it? Yoshinori-Mizuki"

The tone he spoke to her with irritated the redhead as she quickly regained her confidence.

"What the hell is that supposed to mean?!" she asked

"You're trying to compensate for not sticking up for yourself at that time by refusing to listen to me and sticking up for Yumi"

A shocked gasp escaped Mizuki as she saw the look in his eyes, it was almost like there was hidden pity inside them...

With that, Katsuro turned and walked away, leaving an angry and confused Mizuki behind.

"Oi! Kaiba! Get back here you jerk!" Ignoring her, he continued to walk away.

Putting her schoolbag on, Mizuki stomped off.

*What an insensitive and spoilt little rich-boy! I think that Yumi-chan is an amazing duelist, despite all that's happened to her...*

Pausing for a moment, Mizuki looked down at her reflection in the river.

*In fact, I really admire Yumi-chan for that. It makes me want to be a better person...Besides! Who the hell is he to speak to me like that?!"

Watching her walk away from a distance, Kaiba frowned.

*I know what your problem is Yoshinori-Mizuki. You defend the one's closest to you, without thinking about what might happen to yourself.*

Katsuro's eyes narrowed knowingly.

* Soon enough it'll lead you into trouble*

Turning around, the boy walked away into the night.

*/*

(Present)

*Please help me...* Yumi thought to herself pleadingly. Closing her eyes, she drew the card from the top of her deck. Opening her eyes nervously, they quickly widened in realisation as a smile crossed her face.

*Alright!*

Katsuro frowned at the expression on her face.

"What are you so happy about? None of your old fashioned monsters can beat my new 'Storm Wing Dragon'!"

Raising her head, Yumi smiled at him.

"Do not be so sure of that Kaiba-khun"

Katsuro's eyes widened, a bead of sweat rolling down his forehead.

*Damn!* He thought to himself angrily.

With a wave of her hand, Yumi called out her orders.

"First, I summon 'Celestial Maiden' in defence position!"

(*Lv 2 Spellcaster/effect DEF. 300*)

A small maiden dressed in white appeared on the field, spinning around before standing to attention.

Smiling at her two monsters, Yumi waved her hand once again.

"Next! I sacrifice my 'Lady Panther' and my 'Celestial Maiden' to bring forth my ultimate monster!"

A bright light appeared as both of Yumi's monsters left the field.

Clenching his fists, Katsuro glared at her.

*Typicial Yumi, I knew from the start that she'd summon _that_ sooner or later*

Taking a composing breath, Yumi held the desired card close to her chest.

*Watch me Grandpa...* She thought to herself.

Eyes snapping open, she summoned her monster with pride in her voice.

"Rise my ultimate card! 'Priestess Magician'!"

(*Spellcaster. Lv 7 ATK 2500.*)

A magical red light burst from the deck and taking flight, it circled around Yumi several times before shooting forward and positioning itself in front of her.

The magician appeared on the field, ready for battle.

She wore an Egyptian-style red dress with a red cape, donned a traditional Egyptian necklace with a red jewel in the centre, wielded a golden staff with a red jewel shaped like the sun disk on the tip, and on her wrists and arms were golden bracelets, and on her head she donned a golden headdress.

[Like the kind the Queen's would have worn]

The magician faced it's mistress and nodded.

Nodding back, Yumi spoke to her deck ace.

"Please, 'Priestess Magician', lend me your power"

Turning to face her opponent, the priestess wielded her staff and frowned.

Katsuro merely scoffed at this.

*Pathetic*

Frowning, Yumi spoke with sincerity.

"It's a pity you had to bring out your strongest monster so early Kaiba-khun. But, if you feel the need to show off then so do I!"

Gesturing forward, Yumi called out her

"I activate my face down Spell card! 'Holy Magic Attack'! If I control a 'Priestess Magician', I can destroy all Spell or Trap cards my opponent controls!"

Raising her staff, the magician sent a blast of energy towards the desired target, destroying Katsuro's face down card, causing the brown-haired boy to growl in frustration.

Smiling, Yumi made her next move.

"Next! I activate my face down continuous trap card 'Dragon Capture Jar'! All 'Dragon' type monsters are switched into defence position as long as this card remains on the field!"

"No!" Katsuro yelled, anxiety kicking in. (*DEF/300*)

Nodding, Yumi finished her move.

"I place three cards face down, and I end my turn"

With a smile, Yumi looked up at her Priestess Magician.

*The first card Grandpa ever gave to me...A symbol of the past itself...I've kept it close all this time*

Glancing back, the priestess nodded.

Shaking his head at Yumi's expression, Katsuro began his turn.

"It's my turn! Draw!" Drawing the card from his deck, Kaiba's eyes scanned Yumi's side of the field.

*I should have known that she'd use that card for dueling me, but all that matters to me right now is getting rid of her beloved 'Priestess Magician'.*

The magician seemed to sense what he was thinking as she glared at him.

* I knew right from when we met that Yumi never lets go of the past, no matter how long ago things happened. I guess it's time I proved to her the consequences of hanging onto the past for two long!*

"How's this for a taste of your own medicine? I play 'Mystical Space Typhoon' to destroy your 'Dragon Capture Jar'!"

Yumi frowned slightly as the card was destroyed.

*Of course, it was foolish of me to play the card so soon. That's what I get for being too overconfident*

"That means that my 'Storm Wing Dragon' is switched back into attack position!"

(*ATK/3000*)

Smirking, Katsuro continued.

"And now that he is, It means that he can attack your 'Priestess Magician'!"

Yumi's eyes went wide as she turned and looked at her monster worriedly.

"No way!"

Katsuro's eyes narrowed as he glared at Yumi.

"When will you learn? Go! 'Storm Wing Dragon'! Attack her 'Priestess Magician'!"

As the large white dragon let out a roar and surged forward, Yumi waved her hand.

"Trap card activate! 'Priestess's Saviour'! If I control a 'Priestess Magician' and she's targeted by an opponent's monster, I can negate the attack and draw three cards from my deck!"

As she did so, Katsuro scoffed.

"A lucky doge, but you're still no match for 'Storm Wing Dragon's attack! On my next turn, I will destroy your monster and your life points! I place two cards face down and I end my turn!"

"It's my turn!"

Yumi cheered, reaching for the card at the top of her deck. Suddenly, she paused, as she felt something sharp pierce her heart.

*Wh-What?!* Her eyes went dark as she slowly felt her mind go blank...

Katsuro frowned at her slow pace.

"What's wrong? Draw the card already!"

Unaware to him, Yumi's necklace glowed slightly as she lowered her head for a few moments.

"Hurry up and draw!" He yelled.

Smirking, Yumi spoke in the unusual dark and confident tone that didn't sound like her at all.

"You should learn to have some patience, Kaiba-khun"

"What?!" He replied.

Raising her head, Yumi smirked at him, her eyes scarlet red and holding a mischevious glint in them.

"Now, Kaiba-khun, the real challenge begins here"

*/*

*/AN/*

Thanks for reading guys!

Rate & Review


	8. Chapter 8

Yu-Gi-Oh:Journey of the heart

Chapter 8. Descendent's cash part three

Katsuro stared at Yumi with raised eyebrows. Yumi smirked at him, scarlet eyes gleaming.

"It's my turn Kaiba-khun" drawing the card, she glanced at her hand.

*Yumi's eyes...they seem different...*

Grinning, Yumi made her move.

"I play my face down Spell card 'Teacher's calling'! If 'Priestess Magician is on my side of the field, I can summon her apprentice to the field!"

Waving her hand, Yumi called out her orders.

"Come forward! 'Priestess Magician Girl'!"

Spinning her staff, the smaller magician appeared on the field with a determined look on her face. She wore a short red dress with a gold sash around the waist, red boots with the sundisk on the toes, a red cap with the sundisk and horns on the front and a little gold staff with a red jewel on the end.

(Spellcaster/Effect. Lv 6 ATK 2000)

Smirking, Yumi continued.

"Now, I activate my second face down spell card! 'Priestess's Destruction'! If both 'Priestess Magician' and 'Priestess Magician Girl' Are on my field, I can destroy all Spell and Trap cards my opponent controls! Go! 'Priestess Magician' and 'Priestess Magician Girl'!"

Clashing their staffs together, the two magicians sent a blast of energy towards Kaiba's side of the field, destroying all of his face down cards.

"Damn!" Kaiba hissed furiously as his monster was left wide open.

Grinning, Yumi continued with a triumphant glint in her scarlett eyes.

"I believe you know what happens next Kaiba-khun"

Eyes widening and sweat running down his forehead, Kaiba took a step backwards in anxiety.

*I should have known, Yumi was planning this from the beginning!*

Closing her eyes, Yumi chuckled.

"But before I make my attack, i'll give you a chance to take me down. I place one card face down and I end my turn"

Priestess Magician Girl turned her head back to look at her Master, gasping a little when she saw Yumi's face.

Glancing back, Yumi smirked, red eyes gleaming.

*Happy to see me again after all this time?*

After a few moments, the smaller magician turned around and faced the opposite side of the field, taking up her battle position.

Frowning at this, Katsuro glared at Yumi.

*I don't know who this person is, but I know that she's not Yumi...there's far two much confidence and rage in her voice...*

His eyes widened in realisation.

*Could it be...that Yumi has another side to her?...I should have known...history is repeating itself...*

"What's the matter Kaiba-khun? It's your move" Yumi stated with her arms folded.

Frowning again, Katsuro spoke.

"I know, i'm just sparing you for a few more moments before I claim my victory"

Chuckling again, Yumi closed her eyes and brushed a hand through her blond bangs.

"Very well, make your move"

Glaring, Katsuro continued.

"Fine. It's my turn!" drawing from his deck, he smirked when he saw the card in his hand.

*/*

Blue eyes sliding open, Yumi sat up, her vision blurred.

*What?...* she thought to herself.

All around her was a strange dark space, with nothing but herself in it. Fear rushing through her, she looked around frantically.

*What is this place?...It seems so empty...yet so full of anger...its strange, but I feel as though i've been here before...*

A familiar squeak caught her attention as she looked back, she saw that Kuriboh was floating there, an anxious look on his face.

Nodding, Yumi smiled at him.

"I'm alright. But..I don't really know where I am right now..."

She stared into the distance for a few moments.

Looking around, Kuriboh squeaked when he saw a familiar face.

Turning around slowly, Yumi's eyes widened when she saw her most treasured monster standing before her.

"Dark Magician..." she whispered.

Saying nothing, Dark Magician unfolded his arms and extended his hand to her.

Hesitating for a few moments, Yumi reached out and took his hand.

After he helped her to her feet, she nodded respectfully at him.

"Thank you" she said.

Again without saying anything, the magician raised his staff and gestured to a certain area in the space.

Looking back at him curiously, Yumi's eyes questioned him.

A nod was all he replied with.

With Kuriboh by her side, Yumi walked towards the desired area, pausing in front of it.

Suddenly, a blinding white light appeared, surrounding her completely.

Eyes going blank, Yumi gasped as the light enveloped her.

*/*

"I play my magic card 'Storm Wing Strike!' If 'Storm Wing Dragon' is on my field, I can destoy all of my opponent's monsters!"

Yumi grinned maincally. "I play the effect of my deceased 'Celestial Maiden' to negate your card's effect.

Growling in frustration, Katsuro spoke.

"Very well, then I end my turn with a face down!"

Frowning, Yumi drew the card from her hand.

"It's my turn!"

Raising her hand up, Yumi revealed the card in her hand.

"I play the Spell card! 'Sacrificial Dagger'! When 'Priestess Magician' is on my side of the field, I can destroy one monster my opponent controls!"

Kaiba let out a gasp.

"No!"

Taking a hold of the dagger, Priestess Magician raised it in the air, summoning a beam of energy down from the sky, and absorbing it in the blade.

Frowning, Yumi raised her fist in the air.

"Go! 'Priestess Magician'! Destroy his 'Storm Wing Dragon'!" She yelled before extending her hand towards her target.

Eyes wide, Kaiba stared at his dragon helplessly.

Raising her head up, the magician leapt up and zoomed across the field.

*Damn it!* He thought to himself angrily

Flying up, the Priestess spun around before stabbing her blade into the beast's chest.

Letting out a roar, the dragon vanished from the field. As the dragon vanished, Katsuro chuckled.

Yumi frowned at this reaction.

"What the?!"

"You are a fool Yumi, by using that spell card to destroy my 'Storm Wing Dragon' you activated my face down trap! 'Storm Wing Rebirth' If 'Storm Wing Dragon' is destroyed by the effect of my opponent's spell cards, I can re-summon it to the field in defence position!"

*DEF: 300* Smirking, he continued.

"Also, you take 600 points of damage!"

*4000-600=3400*

Chuckling, Yumi spoke.

"Impressive Kaiba-khun, but it'll take more than that to beat me. I'm only getting warmed up" she said, smirking mischievously.

"I place one card face down on the field and I shall end my turn. Make your move"

Katsuro glared at her thoughtfully.

*I'm not sure how to handle this strange new side to Yumi...so for now i'll play it safe*

"I place one card face down and end my turn"

Yumi stared at him with rage in her eyes, a determination showing on her face that was completely abnormal for her.

"Victory is mine, Kaiba-khun" Kaiba gasped at the tone of her voice.

"What the?!" Red eyes shining and grinning manically, Yumi waved her hand.

"I play my face down trap card! 'Lion goddess's fury'! If I control two or more monsters, I can destroy one monster of my opponents!"

Eyes widening, Katsuro took a step backwards.

*That isn't one of Yumi's cards! What the hell is going on?!*

The sight of victory gleaming in her scarlet eyes, Yumi continued.

"Furthermore! My opponent takes damage equal to the total attack points of my monsters! And in total that's 4500 points of damage!"

As she spoke, a beam of fire burst from the card and shot across the field, incinerating the dragon and hitting Katsuro directly in the chest, knocking him backwards.

"Ahhh!" he cried as his life points hit zero.

Panting, Yumi wore a manic grin on her face, eyes wide in enjoyment.

"This battle belongs to me!"

Both duel-disks deactivated and the monsters dissapeared from the field.

Sinking to his knees, he punched the ground in frustration.

"Damn it! How did I lose to you?!"

Standing with her arms folded, Yumi smirked at him triumphantly.

"Simple. You made the mistake of showing me your strongest monster so early. Also, you left nothing else to defend yourself, you of all people should know my deck. You had several oppurtunities to take me down, but instead you insisted on stalling to show your new monster's power. A foolish mistake Kaiba-khun"

She finished, her eyes dark.

Getting to his feet, Kaiba frowned at her.

"Who are you?..." Smirking again, Yumi chuckled.

"Where's the fun in me telling you that? No matter. I'll be seeing you very soon Kaiba-khun"

As she spoke, the necklace glowed again.

Kaiba gasped.

*That necklace...*

As the deep blue eyes slid open, Yumi looked around, seeming confused.

"What happened?...I sort of blanked out.." She said, touching her forehead for a moment.

Frowning at this, Kaiba stared at her, not saying anything for a few moments.

As her eyes fell upon him, Yumi raised her eyebrows.

"Kaiba-khun?..."

Saying nothing, Kaiba turned and walked away.

"Victory is yours for now. We'll duel again"

Staring after him, Yumi blinked, trying to remember what had happened.

"Did I blank out again?.."

*/*

Walking down the street, Kaiba wore a frown on his face.

*It's as I thought...Yumi has another side...*

"Amazing" A calm voice spoke out. Pausing in his tracks, Kaiba looked back.

"Sayuri..."

The black haired duellist stepped out from the corner with a small smirk on her face.

"Just like Yumi-chan, she was able to beat you in less than 6 turns"

Saying nothing, Kaiba turned and continued walking away.

"What's it to you? Losing is a part of dueling, we must make mistakes in order to get better"

Placing her hands together, Sayuri spoke in her usual calm fashion.

"You shouldn't revoke the past so much Katsuro. We are all still your friends you know"

Stopping again, Kaiba turned around and looked her directly in the eyes for a few moments, his face emotionless.

"...Not anymore..." he added.

"You may say that, but I know what you really feel" Sayuri replied, grey eyes shining.

"I'm afraid that i've changed a lot since the last time we met. You don't know me as well as you think you do" Scoffing at this, Sayuri brushed a hand through her long black hair.

"We shall see" Nodding at her, Kaiba turned and continued on his way home, his head lowered.

Shaking her head, Sayuri watched him for a few moments before heading off in her own direction.

*Idiot...*

All of a sudden, a very familiar pointy-haired duellist bumped into her.

"Ah i'm sorry-Oh! Sayuri-chan!" Smiling at her friend, Sayuri nodded.

"Well done, Yumi-chan" Beaming, Yumi grinned at her gratefully.

"Thank you!" Nodding, Sayuri continued.

"Shall we head off?"

"Yes! Let's go"

The two friends continued down the street, all the while, Yumi kept quiet, her eyes downcast.

*I wonder why I blanked out again?...*

"Yumi-chan" Looking up, Yumi responded.

"Huh?" Sayuri looked at her with slight concern on her face.

"Are you alright?" Yumi nodded.

"Yes Sayuri-chan. I'm fine" Smiling at her, Sayuri nodded.

"Alright Yumi-chan, just wanted to check"

Looking up at the sky, a sad look crossed Yumi's face.

*If only he could have seen me..*

*/*

*/AN/*

Thanks for reading guys! And as always, Rate and Review!


	9. Chapter 9

Yu-Gi-Oh: Journey of the heart

Chapter 9. An invitation?

With a frown on her face, Sayuri walked down the long corridor of the mansion, ignoring the clearly priceless paintings on the wall.

As it was the weekend, she was wearing her usual clothes, which consisted of victorian style black lace up leather boots with a slight heel, black tights and a short-length purple dress.

On her left arm her duel disk was attached. It was a simple model, mainly purple in colour.

*Wonder what he wants by asking me here?*

At the end of the corridor were two large oak doors, which were locked shut.

Pausing in front of the doors, Sayuri waited with an emotionless expression.

Inside the office, her image was projected on the television screen on the wall.

"Sir, she's here!" A bodyguard informed him.

Standing by the window, Katsuro stared out over the city.

"Understood. Let her in" Nodding, he pressed a button on the desk, opening the doors.

The black-haired duelist walked in, stopping a few metres in front of the desk.

"Well? i'm here, so what is it you want?" She asked, her voice calm as usual.

Continuing to stare out of the window, Katsuro spoke.

"Leave us for a bit will you?"

"Yes sir" the bodyguard replied, stepping out of the room and closing the door behind him.

Turning around, the brown haired boy's cold blue eyes met with Sayuri's calm grey eyes.

"In answer to your question, i've brought you here to talk about the upcoming Battle KIngdom tournament that i've been entrusted with this year.

Sayuri scoffed in response.

"There's a surprise. Let me guess, you want me to compete in it?" Chuckling, Katsuro walked over to the desk.

"Nothing gets past you does it Sayuri?" Typing something into the laptop sitting on the desk, a projected image of a stadium popped up onto the television screen.

"As you can guess, we've rounded up some of the most powerful duelists for this tournament, most of them with no losses to their name" Pictures of certain duelists popped up on the screen.

Sayuri raised her eyebrows at the images before glancing over at him.

"And you want me to compete because?..."

Smirking at her, Katsuro continued.

"Now don't be modest, we both know that you have more skill than most of those idiots at school, it'd be no fun if I didn't invite you"

Crossing her arms, Sayuri looked down at the floor, a thoughtful look in her eyes.

"I take it that Yumi-chan's on the invite list as well?"

Katsuro nodded in response.

"Of course she is, I selected her myself" Raising her head up, Sayuri frowned at him.

"Let me guess, so that she can face you head on in front of the entire world and you hope that you can beat her, drawing the rivalry between the two families to a close with your victory?"

Katsuro shrugged with a grin.

"Hopefully" Shaking her head, Sayuri went to turn and walk away before she was stopped in her tracks.

"Unless of course you make it to the finals, and we can put our two dragon's head to head in front of everyone"

Looking back, a frown crossed the black haired duelist's face as the two glared at each other.

"I look forward to it" she responded.

"Good. I'll see you there then" he replied, his blue eyes as cold as ever.

Nodding, Sayuri walked out of the oak doors, her usual calm expression on her face.

Gasping as she walked straight past him, the bodyguard stepped into the office.

"Is everything alright sir?"

Sitting down at his desk, Katsuro sat with his fingers interlocked, staring at the wall.

"Perfect, thank you for asking"

"Huh?"

*/*

With a smile on her face, Yumi skipped down the street in her usual cheery fashion.

*I'm so glad it's the weekend! Now I can spend the whole day with everyone!*

Suddenly, she bumped into a large figure which caused her to step back to balance herself.

Smiling nervously, she apologised.

"I'm sorry!" Her eyes widened when she saw who it was.

"Morinaga-san!" Standing before her was the school's most well known 'Mama's boy' he was short and very fat, with bowl-cut blond hair and freckles on his face, and unfortunally for Yumi, he didn't seem to take much of a shine to her.

Scoffing, Morinaga glared at her.

"Watch where you're going pointy-haired freak!" he yelled. Yumi gasped at this.

*Pointy-haired freak?!* The blond haired boy chuckled and began pulling hard on one of her bunches. Yumi squeaked as he did this and tried to push him away.

"Stop it!" she pleaded

"Something like this looks stupid on a girl, why don't you get nice straight hair like the other girls? Maybe then you might come close to being pretty" he said with a snobbish grin.

Frowning, Yumi shoved him hard, making him fall and land on his bottom. Clenching her fists, she spoke.

"I can wear my hair like this if I wish to! And why should I trust someone with your personality to judge someone's beauty?!"

Tears pricked the boys eyes as he began to sob.

"You mean bitch! I'm telling Mother about you!" Yumi snarled at him.

"Tell if you want you coward! See if I care!" Her tone shocked the boy into silence.

"Get out of my way you horrid boy!" she growled, marching past him.

The sound of laughter caught Morinaga's attention, as looking up, he saw a student in the year above him that he followed around. He had messy black hair and wore all black, and was a known bully.

"My my, beaten by a girl?" He asked with a smirk.

"This will be interesting to tell the others. The 'Mama's Boy' was shoved to his ass by Yumiko Muto" Crying again, Morinaga got to his feet.

"No! Don't tell everyone please!" he pleaded.

Stopping, Yumi looked back at this with raised eyebrows.

Tukimura spoke up.

"Or what? You'll beat me up?" the student laughed, while Morinaga begged him with tears in his eyes.

"Please! You can't tell! You can't!"

Shaking her head in pity, Yumi walked back over to him.

"Leave Morinaga-san alone Tukimura-san" Tukimura grinned.

"Eh? Muto-chan? Back to beat him up more?" Yumi shook her head.

"No. I'm telling you to leave him be. It's not worth your time messing around with him. Don't you have better things to do with your weekend?"

The older student chuckled.

"You have a point midget" he said.

Grinning at Morinaga, he walked away.

"See you on Monday 'Mama's boy'" Yumi stared after him emotionlessly.

Morinaga stared up at her with tears in his eyes.

"You stuck up for me!" he cheered. Yumi shook her head.

"No. I only told them what was in front of him. I said nothing to defend you Morinaga-san, I merely told the truth" She said before continuing down the street.

Morinaga stared after her in shock.

"Muto-san..."

Necklace clinking against her chest, Yumi walked in rythmn, her eyes focused on the ground.

*Back there...I had so much confidence...where did it come from?...* Looking up, Yumi remembered where she was headed.

"That's right! I've to meet Mizuki-chan first!" Smiling, she continued on her way.

*/*

Sitting on her bed, Mizuki stared out of the window, deep in thought. Scattered about her room and desk were various paintings, sketches and other drawings of things. On her bedside table sat her deck and duel-disk. It was a light blue colour and was a fairly new model.

*As much as I love my monsters, and how much I love dueling...Am I ready for something like this?...*

In her hand, she held an inviation to the Battle Kingdom tournament.

*How do I know that Kaiba isn't just inviting me to try and humiliate me in front of thousands of people?, this isn't like him to ask me to do something like this because he thinks that i'll be good, there's usually a double standard!* she thought with a frown.

*And if the people at school see then...The last thing I need is more bullying...*

Closing her eyes, she thought back.

*/*

(Flashback)

The young girl walked through the corridor clutching her book, trying to ignore the names she was being called.

"Fat cow!" One student jeered.

"Ugly bitch!" another yelled.

"Just go die already!" one called out.

Trying to hold back the tears, the girl hurried through the corridor, rushing past the people who hated her, but the harsh words still rang loudly in her ears.

"Show off!"

"Loner!"

Suddenly, she accidently ran into a group of girls. They sneered at her.

"Oh look, it's the fat teacher's pet" One said.

"I'd like to see you ever get a boyfriend!"

"Only if he's blind and death!" Trembling, the girl let her tears spill.

"...JUST LEAVE ME ALONE!" she screamed.

*/*

Opening her eyes, Mizuki stared at the floor.

A sudden knock at the front door distracted her as her mother's voice called up the stairs.

"Mizuki, Sayuri is here!"

"Ok!" She replied, getting to her feet.

As the door opened, Sayuri walked in.

"Hey Mizuki-chan" Mizuki nodded.

"Hey" Noticing the sad look in her friends eyes, Sayuri's face grew concerned.

"Are you alright?" Nodding again, Mizuki smiled.

"Of course!" Smiling back, Sayuri's eyes widened when she saw the invitation on Mizuki's bed.

"You got invited to the tournament too?" Mizuki raised her eyebrows.

"You did as well?" Sayuri nodded.

"I was at the Kaiba Mansion this morning, Katsuro asked me himself" Mizuki scoffed.

"Typical" A frown crossed Sayuri's face.

"That's not all. He want's Yumi-chan to enter the tournament as well" A gasp escaped the redhead.

"He want's Yumi-chan to compete? What for?" the black haired duelist shrugged.

"Probably to end the family rivalry with his victory" shaking her head, Mizuki continued.

"Well if Yumi-chan has to enter, then i'd better go as well to make sure she's alright"

Smiling, Sayuri gave her the thumbs up.

"That's the spirit. The only question now is, does Yumi-chan want to enter?"

Suddenly, Yumi walked into the room, as cheery as ever.

"Hi guys, sorry i'm late-" she paused when she saw the way that they were looking at her.

"Is something wrong?" Saying nothing, Sayuri pulled out an unopened invitation from her pocket and handed it to Yumi.

"Katsuro wanted me to give this to you"

"Kaiba-khun?" Yumi questioned, opening the envelope, her eyes widening when she saw what was inside.

"Battle Kingdom?!"

"Both me and Mizuki have been invited to compete as well. However, we will not force you to do anything you do not want to do. Whatever your decision, we will support your choice" Sayuri said calmly. Mizuki nodded.

"Yeah, it's your choice Yumi-chan"

Staring at the letter, Yumi thought deeply.

"What should I do? This could be my first real tournament, and a chance to use Grandpa's cards in a real battle, but if I loose..."

Raising her head up, Yumi spoke calmly.

"Sayuri-chan"

"Yes?" she repiled.

"Would you be so kind as to tell Kaiba-khun..." Yumi's eyes held a burning determination in them.

"That I accept his challenge!"

*/*

*/AN/*

Thanks for reading guys!


	10. Chapter 10

Chapter 10. Tournament preparation.

The next week or so consisted of all of the group sorting their deck for the upcoming tournament and each working on their own individual strategy's.

Seeing as they were all so familiar with each others decks, the friends decided not to tell each other what cards they were taking, just to avoid any unfair advantages.

To Yumi's surprise, neither Hideo or Takara had been asked to compete in the tournament.

She recalled how taken aback the brunette was that Kaiba had actually asked Mizuki and Sayuri to compete and how supportive Hideo was about the whole thing.

Although she didn't show it, the pointy haired duelist was the most nervous of the whole group.

She'd began to blank out a lot more than usual, she noticed that whenever she was angry or scared, her mind would go completely blank, only to regain her train of thougt a while afterwards in a completely different place than she had been before she lost conciousness.

And that fact scared Yumi a great deal. But it was as though something had a tight hold of her, she just couldn't bring herself to tell her friends why she came into school looking so tired, why she would go missing at some points. Even she didn't know why.

She just felt so isolated.

That didn't stop her from dueling however.

*/*

By the time the week was over, Yumi had assembled her deck for the tournament, even adding in some synchro monsters.

*If I want to do well in this tournament, I have to use the techniques of the past, but also accept the future*

She thought to herself while sitting in class, quietly looking out the window as usual.

At lunch, the group all congregated in their usual spot by an oak tree in the school playground.

Swinging from one of the branches, Takara let out a sigh.

"Apparently Fudo-sensei is getting let out of the hospital soon"

Sayuri raised her eyebrows at this thought as she unboxed her lunch.

"Didn't he have another biking accident?"

Jumping down, Takara sat down and began to eat her sandwiches.

"Yup. He never changes one bit" she added through mouthfuls of cheese and ham.

Mizuki shook her head with a chuckle, picking up her rice with her panda-shaped chopsticks.

"Still, it'll be much better to have him for science than Old Yurimo" she said before placing the rice in her mouth.

Swallowing, Takara nodded with a grin.

"You can say that again. 'Kurikawa! Detention'!" she said, doing an impression of an old woman's voice.

Everyone except from Yumi laughed at the imitation.

Sitting with her legs crossed, Yumi stared down at her necklace intently, as if reality was meaningless to her.

Rubbing his neck, Hideo addressed the group with clear happiness in his voice.

"Speaking of Hospitals, I have some good news"

The three girls sat up, listening intently.

"What is it Bakura-khun?" Takara asked.

With a smile on his face, Hideo continued.

"My mother's being transfered back here!"

"That's wonderful Bakura-khun!" Mizuki exclaimed.

"Do you know when?" Sayuri asked, a smile on her face.

Hideo shook his head in response.

"Not sure yet, but the doctor says that it'll be really soon"

"That's good" Takara added.

Looking up for the first time in a while, Yumi smiled kindly at her friend.

"I'm so glad for you, Bakura-khun"

Smiling back, Hideo nodded, a warm look on his face.

"Thank you, Yumi-chan"

Takara scoffed at this, grinning.

"Just kiss already"

Hideo and Yumi's cheeks flushed bright red at this comment, much to the hilarity to the rest of the friends.

"No! I don't like Yumi-chan in that way!" Hideo protested, face going even redder.

Smirking, Sayuri spoke.

"Your face says a different story"

Burying his face in his hands, Hideo groaned.

With a slight look of pity in her eyes, Yumi patted him on the shoulder.

"Don't worry Bakura-khun, Takara-chan was just joking"

*I wish she wouldn't do it so much though...*

As she spoke, the bell sounded from the main building.

Stretching, Takara stood up.

"Well, back into prison we go"

*Or you could just call it a nightmare* Yumi thought to herself.

*/*

(A few hours later)

As the students filed out of class for the end of the day, Yumi remained in her seat, quietly packing away the rest of her things.

Bag slung over her shoulder, Mizuki walked over to her with a slight trace of concern on her face.

"Yumi-chan, you coming?" she asked.

Looking up at her, Yumi smiled and shook her head.

"Sorry Mizuki-chan, Sensei wanted to talk to me about something"

The redhead raised her eyebrows but didn't question her any futher.

"Ok Yumi-chan, i'll see you tommorow" she said with a wink before walking out of the door.

Getting to her feet, Yumi stared after her friend shaking slightly.

*Did I just lie to Mizuki-chan?...Why on earth would I do that?*

With a frown on her face, Mizuki walked across the playground, deep in thought.

She'd noticed that something was wrong with her friend, but she couldn't quite put her finger on what it was exactly.

The only thing that she could do at the moment was to get Yumi to tell her, then she could try her best to help her.

*Just like she helped me...*

Closing her eyes, she remembered.

*/*

(Flashback)

The young redheaded girl sat alone in the playground, unboxing her lunch.

As usual, no one wanted to sit with her, and if she attempted to join one of the groups, they would probably have pushed her away, or worse.

*I don't get it,...why does no one like me?..* she thought sadly.

With a sigh, she pulled out her panda chopsticks and lifted the lid of her lunch box.

Her face lit up when she saw what her mother had made for her.

"Salmon!" She cheered.

"Hello" A sweet little voice suddenly said.

The redhead flinched at this and automatically raised her hands to defend herself.

"Oh! I'm sorry, did I startle you?" the voice said apologetically.

Opening her eyes in surprise, Mizuki looked up to see a young girl standing there next to her.

"Huh?..."

She had blond pointy bangs framing her face, deep blue eyes and black hair that mainly pointed up in five petal shaped spikes with red tips, the rest of her hair was tied back in bunches, with black and red running through them.

She wore a kind expression on her face, and she didn't seem to want to tease the redhead, in fact, she was actually smiling at her...

"N-No, it's alright" Mizuki said, not sure what it was that the girl wanted.

Nodding, the girl continued to wear the kind smile.

"Mind if I sit with you?"

Mizuki's eyes widened in surprise, not believing what she had just heard.

"What?...you don't hate me?..."

The pointy haired girl's own eyes widened in shock.

"No! Of course not! You seem like a very nice, smart girl, why would I hate you?"

Mizuki was at a loss for what to say.

"W-What's your name?..."

Smiling again, the girl stood up straight and clenched her hands together.

"Yumiko Muto, but, you can call me Yumi if you like" she said with a little wink.

A long lost smile painted it's way across the redhead's face as her eyes lit up.

"I'm Mizuki Yoshinori"

Yumi nodded, and replied with a kind voice.

"Nice to meet you, Mizuki-chan"

"You two,...Yumi-chan..."

*/*

Opening the front door and closing it behind her, Mizuki headed up the stairs to her room.

"Mother! I'm home!"

"Hello Dear" Her mother's voice replied from the kitchen.

Heading into her room, Mizuki dumped her bag on the floor, walked over to her bed and sank down, letting out a tired sigh.

It was almost dark outside by this point, the last traces of sunset orange fading away into the distance.

"Shame, I missed the sunset" Mizuki thought aloud, glancing over to the unfinished drawing sitting on her desk.

Sitting up and stretching, she continued.

"Oh well, I can work on it again tommorow"

Reaching into her blazer pocket, she pulled out her deck and stared at the monster sitting at the top of it.

*Yumi-chan,...I know you're worried about this tournament,..but just know that i'll always be by your side...just like you were for me back then...*

*/"Here Mizuki-chan"/*

*/"What is it?"/*

*/I have a feeling that this monster belongs with you/*

Sighing, Mizuki got to her feet, placed her cards down on the table and headed downstairs.

*/*

Yumi walked down the path, duel-disk on her arm. It was strange, she thought that no one was outside today.

As she came to a stop by the fountain, she sat down on the edge of it with a thoughtful sigh.

"Where is everyone? I'm sure I saw Mizuki-chan a while ago"

It was sunny, not a cloud to be seen in the sky, but a gentle breeze blew by, cooling her from the heat.

"Still, at least it's peaceful for once"

The sound of sudden footsteps made Yumi turn around. Another duelist was walking towards were she was, obviously planning to sit in the same place that she was.

She couldn't quite see his face, but from the way he was walking, she could tell that something was on his mind.

*I don't think he knows that i'm here* she thought to himself

Walking over, the duelist sat down on the other side of the fountain.

"That's strange, no one's out today"

Yumi's eyes widened slightly as she listened to what he was saying.

*That voice...where have I heard it before?*

Before she could think of where she had heard it, a familiar squeak caught her ears.

Looking down at her deck, she saw the familiar brown puffball emerging from it, winking at her as he did so.

"Kuriboh?" Yumi asked, surprise written on her face. Giggling happily, Kuriboh flew over to the other side of the fountain.

Standing up, Yumi went to run after him, but was stopped when she heard the other duelist's voice.

"Kuriboh? What's wrong?" Sure enough, the puffball came flying back round to Yumi, perching himself on her shoulder.

"Hey! Come back!" the other duelist ran round the fountain, stopping dead in his tracks when he saw Yumi.

Yumi's deep blue eyes went wide when she realised who it was.

*It..It can't be...*

Yugi stood there, amythest eyes wide in confusion, donnning his school uniform and his duel-disk attatched to his arm.

"Who are you?" he asked curiously, taken aback by the similarities of the girl and himself.

Yumi gulped, trying to form some sort of sentence.

A look of concern crossed Yugi's face as he extended his hand towards her.

"Are you alright?"

All of a sudden, the ground beneath him cracked open and a dark shadow emerged, swallowing Yugi whole, the sounds of his screams of pain piercing Yumi's ears.

"GRANDPA!" she screamed, reaching out at the disappearing shadow.

Yumi could feel the whole world spinning beneath her as she tried to grab onto something.

Falling back, she fell into the fountain waters, sinking deep into the abyss, with nothing but darkness surrounding her.

She couldn't breathe, she couldn't call out for help, all she could do was wait for death himself to snatch her away...

*/*

Yumi sat bolt upright with a start, gasping for breath, as if she really had just been submerged in deep waters. Her eyes scanned around her bedroom frantically, for any sign of Yugi, but to no avail.

This nightmare, much like many of the others left her afraid and alone.

Beads of sweat were trickling down her forehead and tears of fear were forming in her eyes.

"Grandpa..." she choked out in a whisper, even though she knew that there would be no response.

Clutching her necklace tightly in her hands, Yumi sat there with her head lowered, her breathing slowly steadying.

A single tear of desperation rolled down her cheek as her voice shook.

"I...I..will find you..Grandpa...I swear!" she cried out.

Getting out of bed, she walked into the bathroom and switched on the light, sweat still trickling down her forehead.

Standing in front of the mirror and gripping the edge of the sink, Yumi stared at her reflection.

*Why do I have to resemble him so much?...I don't deserve to!*

Turning the tap on, Yumi splashed cold water onto her face and dried herself off with a towel.

Looking back up at her reflection again, Yumi gasped when she saw what held itself in the mirror.

A pair of scarlett eyes glared back at her and a smirk wore itself on the reflection's face.

Yumi remained frozen at this sight, her entire body trembling with fear.

She could feel her mind slowly going blank once again...

*/*

*/AN/*

Hi guys!

Sorry for taking so long to update.

I've had some problems with my computer lately, so i've accidently been updating some chapters.

Eg. The dissapearing and re-appearing chapter nine :)

Any questions or suggestions let me know, and as always,

Rate & Review!


	11. Chapter 11

Yu-Gi-Oh: Journey of the heart

Chapter 11: Face to face with destiny

Raising her head up, Yumi looked into the mirror, her scarlett eyes holding a dark gleam to them as she observed her matching reflection with a smirk.

The person in the mirror had her eyes shut and appeared to be sleeping, having a sense of innocence around her, even in sleep.

Yumi frowned, red eyes narrowing.

"Having nightmares again? That's not good for someone who has to compete in a tournament soon"

The reflection in the mirror remained asleep, ignoring her.

Growling lowly, Yumi clenched her fists and glared at the mirror, messy blond bangs framing her face.

*Why won't she ever answer me?...*

Sighing, Yumi drew back from the mirror and walked out of the bathroom, necklace clinking against her chest.

Pausing at her bedroom door, Yumi stood silently, scarlett eyes cutting through the darkness like a knife.

There, hovering over the bedside table was the familiar brown puffball, trembling in fear at the sight of her, clearly trying to guard the rest of the deck.

This caused a slight chuckle to escape her mouth.

"You fear me Kuriboh?"

Kuriboh didn't do anything in response, he merely stared at her.

Scoffing, Yumi brushed a hand through the long part of her hair, untied and loose unlike usual.

"Very well, if you do not wish to be near me, then I shall return your true mistress to you"

With those words, the necklace glowed a light red colour and the scarlett coloured irises turned back to deep blue.

Blinking, Yumi shook her head a little to try and compose herself.

"What?..."

Kuriboh squeaked happily and did a little flip in the background.

Nodding at him, Yumi turned to the side and gingerly touched her forehead, a worried look on her face.

*Oh no...I blanked out again!...Just what's going on?*

*/*

The next day at school, Yumi sat down in her usual seat and got out her equipment, deciding it best that she didn't bring up what had happened the night before.

Suddenly, an empty seat next to her's caught her attention as she quickly scanned around the room for the sight of her frienf.

Realsing that Hideo wasn't there, she called across to the other side of the room to Sayuri.

"Sayuri-chan, have you seen Bakura-khun?" Sayuri shrugged.

"No, I haven't. Hey! Mizuki's not in either!"

Looking across from her, Yumi noticed that the redhead's seat was empty.

*That's strange,..It's not like Mizuki-chan to be off..* she thought to herself. Turning back to look at Hideo's empty seat, a concerned frown crossed her face.

*Bakura-khun..*

*/*

Hideo sat nervously in the waiting room of the hospital, fiddling with his hands and staring at the ground.

*I hope she's feeling alright after being transfered back here...After all, at least when she's here she can go out in the garden for some fresh air..* he thought to himself with a smile.

"Bakura-khun?" A familar voice asked.

Looking up, Hideo raised his eyebrows when he saw Mizuki standing there, dressed in her uniform.

"Mizuki-chan? What are you doing here?" Sighing, she sat down next to him.

"It's a long story..."

As she spoke, a patient was wheeled through the corridor on a stretcher, his clothes mainly torn and wet.

"I already told you i'm fine! All I need to do is get my dueling system perfected and the world will know a new generation of dueling!" he protested

"We know Proffessor" One attendent replied tiredly.

"You told us the last time you were here" Another said as they wheeled him through the ward doors.

Raising his eyebrows, Hideo looked at Mizuki who had her head lowered in embarresment.

*/*

(Flashback)

As he sped through the streets, the Proffessor let out a chuckle at his new experiment's success.

Suddenly, the lights changed and a student started to cross the road.

To his terror it was one of _his _students.

"Yoshinori?!" Turning round, Mizuki shrieked as she saw the runner heading towards her.

"Oh dear!" He cried, trying to break.

Jumping out of the way, Mizuki shoulder rolled onto the pavement and gasped as the Proffessor crashed into the nearby fountain, bike and all.

Mizuki sweat dropped.

"Not again..." she groaned as a crowd started to rush towards the wreckage.

*/*

"Let me guess. You almost got run over by the Proffesor's bike and he crashed when he tried to stop?" Hideo asked emotionlessly.

"Yep" Was all she replied before she raised her head up and smiled at him.

"I think I can guess why you're here Bakura-khun"

A nurse stepped out of one of the rooms. Spotting Hideo, she asked him kindly.

" Family of Bakura-Reika?" Nodding, Hideo stood up. Pausing, he turned to Mizuki.

"You can come two if you like Mizuki-chan" he said with a smile.

"Oh?

*/*

Back at the school, Yumi stared out of the window dreamily.

*That duel I had with Kaiba-khun a few days ago was fun...but, I still don't understand why I can't remember the part of the duel where I beat him...Also, the Battle Kingdom Tournament is coming up soon! I have to make sure I try and remember every duel I have from now on*

Her necklace began to slowly glow a light red colour. Staring into the gem, Yumi was sure she could feel her mind slowly going blank...

Suddenly, a bonk on the head with a book brought her back to reality.

Looking up, Yumi saw her teacher standing there with a cross look on her face.

"Muto! Stop daydreaming and get back to work!" Blushing, Yumi nodded nervously.

"Yes Sensei!"

The rest of the class burst out laughing at her reaction.

"Silence! Back to work!" the teacher yelled, making them all fall silent.

Nodding, she smiled slightly.

"Perfect" she said before walking back to her desk.

Looking down at her necklace, Yumi stared at it worridly.

*I felt like I was about to blank out again...could it be that my treasure is causing these blackouts to happen to me?...*

A familar squeak caught her attention as she saw that Kuriboh was there beside her as usual.

*What's wrong Kuriboh?..* The brown puffball gestured across the classroom.

Looking over, Yumi's eyes slowly went wide in shock.

*What the?!...*

*/*

The soft white curtains of the hospital room blew gently in the breeze.

Hideo was sat down on a chair by one of the beds in the room, Mizuki was standing next to him.

A woman was lying asleep on the bed. She had long white hair and pale skin, looking almost identical to Hideo.

"Mother, I'm here" Hideo said softly.

A pair of green eyes slid open and the woman looked up at her son with a smile.

"Hideo.." she said. Smiling back, the white haired boy spoke

"How are you feeling?"

Sitting up, his mother nodded.

"I'm fine. But, why aren't you in school young man?" she questioned with a slight frown.

Hideo chuckled nervously, rubbing his forehead.

"Umn...I..eh.."

"He wanted to see how you were doing after you'd been transfered" Mizuki replied polietly, her voice calm and gentle.

A smile crossed Rekia's face.

"Mizuki? My, you've grown so much since last I saw you!" she exclaimed.

Mizuki smiled gratefully.

"Thank you. Anyway, how have you been Mrs Reika?"

The white haired woman nodded in response.

"Much better thank you. The doctor says that i'm making excellent progress"

Hideo let out a sigh of relief.

"Thank god..." Chuckling, Hideo's mother reached out and ruffled his hair.

"Mother! No! You'll mess it up!" he whined.

Mizuki giggled at him, in response to which Hideo gave her a pouting glare.

"It's not funny!" He complained.

"Why not?"

"It just isn't!" Mizuki grinned at him mischevioulsly.

"I see. Were you keeping it nice for Yumi-chan?" A red blush flared across Hideo's cheeks.

"No! No way!" he insisted

His mother smiled at this

"Are you sure Hideo? I'm sure you told me a few months ago that you liked Yumiko"

Hideo's blush went even darker.

"Mother! You said that you would keep that a secret!" he hissed. His mother raised her eyebrows.

"It's nothing to be ashamed of, after all Yumiko is a lovely girl"

Hideo's face was bright red and his head was lowered in embaressment.

"Please...just stop talking about it..." he begged.

"What about you Mizuki? Do you have a crush on someone?"

"Eh? No, I don't" Raising his head up, Hideo grinned.

"Oh really? Isn't there this boy-" Blushing, Mizuki clamped a hand over his mouth.

"No there's not!" she insisted.

Smiling at the two of them, Rekia thought to herself.

*Hideo, Mizuki...seeing you grow up makes me so happy...but, don't grow up too fast ok?..*

The petals of the flowers on the windowsil blew gently in the breeze as the clouds passed by.

*/*

Looking down at her necklace, Yumi stared at it worridly.

*I felt like I was about to blank out again...could it be that my treasure is causing these blackouts to happen to me?...*

A familar squeak caught her attention as she saw that Kuriboh was there beside her as usual.

*What's wrong Kuriboh?..* The brown puffball gestured across the classroom.

Looking over, Yumi's eyes slowly went wide in shock.

*What the?!...*

The entire classroom was surrounded in darkness. The sillouettes of everyone else in the room remained visible, some glowing pinkish-red and others glowing purple.

Yumi gasped at this sight.

*The necklace...it must be showing me everyone's hearts again!...* to her relief, the majority of the sillouettes were pink. However, the few purple ones made her feel slightly uneasy.

*Is it right to do this?...To look into the hearts of my friends and classmates without permission?* Kuriboh squeaked in response.

*It's what i'm supposed to do?...* she asked, taking her necklace in her hands and looking at it.

*I know that i'm supposed to do this...but for what purpose and why?*

Looking up again, she gasped when her eyes fell upon a certain space. Standing there with it's arms folded was a spirit, resembling her almost identically. It was frowning at her, red eyes glowing in the darkness. Kuriboh squeaked nervously and hid behind Yumi's back.

Scarlett met with Sapphire blue as the two locked eyes for the very first time.

There was something about the spirit's eyes that Yumi noticed, she had never known eyes that held so much anger in them. It scared her a little.

Sweat running down her forehead, Yumi forced herself to speak to the spirit.

"Who are you?..." she asked in a soft whisper.

Growling lowly, the spirit spoke, clenching her fists.

"You really don't remember?..." Yumi seemed surprised at this and lowered her eyebrows in confusion.

"Remember?..."

Looking down, the spirit noticed that Yumi was shaking.

Snarling at this, she spoke.

"You're afraid of me aren't you?.."

"What?.."

Lowering her head, the spirit continued.

"I knew it...but it doesn't matter if you're afraid of me or not, you're stuck with me for now"

Just as Yumi tried to figure out what was happening, she was snapped back to reality by another teacher running into the classroom.

"Hotaga!" she cried

"What is it?" Yumi's teacher replied calmly.

" Fudo-senshi's been hospatilsed again!"

An eruption of chatter spread across the class.

"Fudo-senshi?"

"Not again!"

Standing up, the teacher shouted at the class.

"Silence! All of you remain in your seats and continue with your work until I return! Let's go Michi"

As the two teachers left the room, the class began getting out of their seats and chattering again.

"Fudo-sensei?" One exclaimed.

"Not again" another sighed.

Remaining in her seat, Yumi stared down at her lap, deep in thought about what had just happened.

Her thoughts suddenly turned to her deck. Pulling it out, she stared at the monster at the top.

*Kuriboh, everyone. The tournament is in a few days time, so I beg of you, lend me your power! I know that i've been avasive of the rules several times, but, I promise to try my best!*

Suddenly, her monsters burst from her deck and surrounded her desk. Looking around, Yumi smiled at them.

"Everyone. Let's do our best" she said. The monster's rallied in agreement.

Kuriboh flew over and perched on her shoulder happily.

*/AN/*

Thanks for reading guys! Till next time!


End file.
